Cebu City records 67 fire incidents in March

Local

THE Bureau of Fire Protection-Cebu City recorded 67 fire incidents from January to March this year.

The data was released as March, known as a Fire Prevention Month, is about to end.

Figures released by Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO) spokesman SFO3 Wendell Villanueva showed that the estimated fire damage reached P13.55 million as of Friday, March 27.

Numbers showed that January logged 21 fire incidents with estimated damage of P2.98 million. February recorded 25 incidents with P4.11 million in damage, while March, as of this writing, accounted for 21 incidents with losses amounting to P6.45 million.

Most of the incidents this year were structural fires, with 60 cases, while seven were classified as non-structural.

No fire-related deaths were reported during the period, while nine individuals sustained injuries.

The data also showed that no arson cases or filed cases were recorded so far this year.

For the same period in 2025, the CCFO recorded a higher number of incidents at 89 fires.

January 2025 had 30 incidents with P6.18 million in damage, February had 25 incidents with P7.16 million, and March recorded the highest at 34 incidents with P10.79 million in estimated losses.

Compared with 2026, last year’s first-quarter data reflected both higher fire incidence and greater damage, with total losses reaching around P24.14 million during the same three-month period.

Additionally, the 2025 data also recorded fatalities and injuries during these months, unlike this year’s zero fatality record.

In terms of classification, the bulk of the 2025 first-quarter incidents were also structural fires, accounting for 80 cases, while nine were non-structural.

For the entire year of 2025, the CCFO Office logged a total of 277 fire incidents with estimated damages reaching P117.86 million.

Of these, 236 were structural fires and 41 were non-structural.

The data also showed seven fatalities and 37 injuries recorded for the year, along with seven arson cases and seven cases filed.

The figures place 2026 on a lower trajectory so far in both number of incidents and cost of damage, even as March—considered a peak period for fires due to dry conditions—accounts for a significant share of losses this year.

Fire Prevention Month is observed every March under Presidential Proclamation No. 115-A, signed in 1966, which designated the period to promote fire safety awareness due to the increased risk of fires during the dry season.

Authorities continue to remind the public to maintain fire safety practices beyond Fire Prevention Month.(Kaiser Jan Fuentes)