Fires have increased by 25 percent in the first two months of this year, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said Wednesday.

In a radio interview, BFP spokesperson Annalee Atienza said: “I am sad to report that fire incidents have increased by 25 percent since last year. That’s from January 1 to February 27, we had 2,796 fire incidents compared to last year which was 2,224.”

Atienza said most fires happened in residential areas.

She attributed the increase in incidents to neglect.

“We can say that there is a lack of fire safety awareness among our countrymen wherein they tend to neglect themselves when it comes to fire safety,” Atienza said.

“We are promoting fire prevention rather than suppression, especially since a majority of incidents occurred in residential areas,” she added.

Atienza also announced there are still 190 towns that do not have firetrucks and fire stations, which the agency will prioritize with providing the needed fire equipment. Jaspearl Tan/DMS