RESIDENTIAL areas, squatter settlements, and informal housing in the city have been identified by the Davao City Fire District-Bureau of Fire Protection- Davao Region (BFP-Davao Region) as the most susceptible to fire incidents due to poor environmental conditions, makeshift houses, substandard buildings, and overloaded or poorly maintained electrical connections.
Speaking at an AFP-PNP Press Corps Southern Mindanao media forum Wednesday morning, October 18, 2023, at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, spokesperson SFO4 Ramil Gillado highlighted the hazardous living conditions in these slum areas.
He pointed out the presence of illegal and haphazard electrical connections, emphasizing that in some cases, poor air circulation contributes to the overheating of electrical appliances.
“Kasagaran man gud sa kani na mga area, adunay mga flying connection nga illegal baya na sya. Sa usa ka balay, matingala ka lahi ang gigikanan sa kuryente. Kasagaran usab sa mga establishments or balay sa slums kay shanty houses kay made out of plywood, mga materials na dali masunog and dikit-dikit pud mga kabalayan so dali mukaylap ang sunog (n these areas, you often find illegal flying connections. In some houses, it's perplexing to figure out the source of the electricity. Moreover, many buildings or houses in slum areas are shanty houses made of plywood and other highly flammable materials, and they are closely packed together, making fires spread rapidly)," Gillado said.
He also said, "Makompromise ang ilahang safety tungod aning connection sa ilahang kuryente kay sagad sa mga building sa squatters area wala ni sila niagi og building permit ug wala usab niagi sa BFP (Their safety is compromised due to these electrical connections, as most buildings in squatter areas lack building permits and have not been inspected by the BFP)."
According to a recent report from BFP-Davao Region, Davao City recorded 530 fire incidents from January to October of the current year, marking an 18.8 percent increase from the 446 incidents reported during the same period in 2022. The total damage caused by these incidents amounted to P73,722,050, higher than the P58,290,500 reported in the previous year. DEF