Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency (Gulkarmat) has recorded that fire incidents during Ramadan (March 23 - April 22, 2023) in Jakarta decreased by 9.69 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. There are 149 cases of fire incidents, less than the incidents in Ramadan or in 2022 with 165 cases.

Most objects burned are in residential buildings

Jakarta Gulkarmat Agency Head, Satriadi Gunawan stated as many as 149 fire cases were spread across five cities and one regency with details of 28 incidents in Central Jakarta, 28 incidents in West Jakarta, 38 incidents in South Jakarta, and 34 incidents in East Jakarta. Meanwhile, there were 21 cases in North Jakarta and  Seribu Islands.

"Most objects burned are in residential buildings. There are 61 incidents in total," he expressed Monday (5/1).

"Objek kebakaran paling banyak terjadi di bangunan perumahan. Jumlahnya sebanyak 61 kejadian," ujar Satriadi, Senin (1/5).

Based on the incident data collected, electrical short circuits are still the highest suspected fire trigger, namely 95 cases. Of the total incidents of 149 fire cases, his party estimates that the resulting material losses reached more than Rp 37 billion.

He explained the fires occurred during Ramadan were caused, among other things, by changes in activity, especially cooking and the use of electricity. He cited, the causative factors were negligence on leaving the stove while cooking, paying little attention to installing gas cylinders, using electricity that exceeded the limit, and electrical equipment that did not meet standards.

"The service continues to remind us to always be alert to fires with the aim that we all avoid distress and disasters, especially fires," he added.

As an anticipatory effort, his party carried out massive socialization of fire prevention and education to the public, especially in densely populated areas. Considering that the highest number of fire objects occurred in residential buildings.

As a result, the impact is directly proportional to the level of community participation in fighting fires. Based on data compiled by the agency during Ramadan, there was an increase in fires that the community was able to deal with by 1.48 percent than the previous year.

Therefore, his party will keep intensifying the role and participation of the community in anticipating and tackling fire incidents through education. Even if there is an incident, people who are trained can handle it when the fire is still small, thus the impact of losses due to fire can be minimized.

"If the fire is not controlled in five minutes, l there will be a big fire. We also advise if there is an incident to contact the officers or immediately call Jakarta Siaga 112 (free)," he stated.