37 fire incidents in the province were recorded in 2020 with no fatalities or injuries, unlike in 2019 where a civilian died in one of the 48 fire cases, according to the record of Bureau of Fire Protection – Kalinga.
This March, a fire prevention month, the BFP – Kalinga is reminding the public that prevention of fire is everybody’s concern, adding that it is important to be cautious especially on little things that may cause fire.
“Fire prevention is everybody’s concern at para maiwasan natin ito, matuto tayo sa ating mga good housekeeping kasi number yan eh. ‘Yung mga electrical kapag hindi ginagamit tanggalin, ‘yung mga stove mga gas range, isarado muna bago matulog o kaya kapag hindi na ginagamit at ‘wag pabayaan kung nagluluto,” said Fire Provincial Director Supt. Allan Eballar.
What usually causes fire in Kalinga?
In an interview with Supt. Eballar, he explained that among the causes of fire in the province is kaingin. People doing kaingin sometimes leave the burnt area without making sure they have put out the fire. This, he said, leads to forest fire which is harder to contain.
“Actually tinignan ko ‘yung year 2020 fire incident natin, number one is kaingin. Siyempre kung minsan kapag nagka-kaingin eh sinusunog [tapos] napapabayaan, ‘yun kumakalat na nagiging forest fire na ‘yon,” he said.
Another cause of fire in Kalinga is unattended cooking, he said. In this digital age, some people tend to forget their cooking because they are too occupied with their cell phones.
“‘Yung pagluluto lalo ngayon computer age tayo, nakababad [tayo] sa cellphone. Sinalang, nakababad, ‘yon napapabayaan na rin ‘yong niluluto,” he said.
Moreover, Eballar also attributed the cause of fire to cigarette butts which people just throw anywhere such as in garbage sacks or in the forests. Additionally, defective electrical wirings also cause fire.
“Hindi natin maiwasan ‘yung kuryente, ‘yung electrical wirings kasi nga may mga overloading, may mga nagpapalit ng fuse na kapag sira na ‘yung fuse, kung ano ano ‘yung nilalagay na lang nila na para magkaroon lang ng control doon sa main switch,” he said, noting that it is very important to seek experts on things like this.
Eballar likewise said that plain carelessness such as failing to store gasoline in cold areas and failing to blow off candles before sleeping can lead to fire.
How to contain or manage small fire at home?
In managing fire, Eballar said that it is easier to manage fire when the combustible materials are papers and plastics. However, when a flammable liquid is involved, do not use water to kill the fire.
“‘Yung mahirap lang naman dito ‘yung flammable liquids kasi dapat ... hindi pwedeng basta sabuyan mo na lang ng tubig yang flammable liquids, kakalat lalo yan,” Eballar explained.
Instead, he said that it is better to use wet clothings to cover the burning area.
“So kukuha tayo ng basang basahan, ‘yun ang pantakip natin as much as possible kasi hindi naman nagsisimula ang sunog sa malaki eh, maliit pa yan. So habang maliit pa, magbasa ng tubig tapos takpan natin ‘yung part na nasusunog o kaya kung wala talaga, kumuha tayo ng buhangin, ‘yon na lang ang pampatay natin,” he said.
Nevertheless, small fire or big, he said, if people cannot contain it, they should call the nearest fire stations in their area.
To avoid more harm in case of emergencies, he further stressed that people should not forget to save the emergency hotlines in their cellphones, “para maiwasan natin ‘yung dagdag na pinsala.”
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