National Fire Rescue Bureau: Five Main Characteristics of Nationwide Fires in 2024

             In 2024, the national fire rescue team responded to and handled a total of 2.358 million emergencies, a 10.1% increase compared to 2023. A total of 25.374 million fire rescue personnel were deployed, along with 4.586 million fire trucks. 215,000 people were rescued from disaster sites, and 166,000 people were evacuated from dangerous situations. 215 fire rescue stations across the country responded to over 1,000 calls, 95 more than the previous year. Specifically, the Qianchuan Fire Rescue Station in Huangpi District, Wuhan, Hubei; the Linquan Jiaotong Road Fire Rescue Station in Anhui; and the Xihu Dadao Fire Rescue Station in Yingzhou District, Fuyang, Anhui, all responded to over 2,000 calls throughout the year, averaging 6 to 7 calls per day, indicating a very high workload. Simultaneously, the forest fire fighting team extinguished 143 forest and grassland fires and undertook 377 comprehensive rescue missions, deploying a total of 146,000 fire rescue personnel.

In 2024, the national fire rescue team responded to 908,000 fires, resulting in 2,001 deaths and 2,665 injuries, with direct property losses totaling 7.74 billion yuan. 70 major fires were reported, resulting in 249 deaths, a decrease of 2 incidents and 10 deaths compared to 2023. 3 significant fires were reported, resulting in 44 deaths, a decrease of 2 incidents and 46 deaths compared to 2023. 1 exceptionally significant fire was reported, remaining consistent with 2023. The overall fire situation remained stable.

　　Last year's nationwide fires had five main characteristics: Firstly, the majority were outdoor fires and small fires. Building fires 391,000 incidents, accounting for 43.1%; traffic vehicle fires 97,000 incidents, accounting for 10.7%; and various outdoor fires 419,000 incidents, accounting for 46.2%. Secondly, the proportion of fires in rural areas was relatively high. Urban areas had 350,000 fires, accounting for 38.6%, while rural areas had 534,000 fires, accounting for 58.8%. Development zones, tourist areas, and other regions accounted for 22,000 fires, or 2.6%. Thirdly, residential fires were the most frequent. Among the 391,000 building fires, 309,000 were residential fires (79%); 36,000 were in densely populated areas (9.2%); and 23,000 were in factories and warehouses (5.9%). Fourthly, more fires occurred during the day, while fatalities were more common at night. The period from 10:00 to 20:00 was the peak time for fires, accounting for 61.4% of the total, and the number of deaths during this period accounted for 37.4% of the total. Although fires between 00:00 and 06:00 accounted for only 10.3% of the total, the number of deaths accounted for 31.3%, especially since major fires during this period accounted for 48.6% of the total. Fifthly, electrical faults and careless use of fire accounted for over half of the incidents. Based on the determined causes of fires, 293,000 were caused by electrical faults (32.3%), 198,000 by careless use of fire (21.8%), and 15.3% and 15% were caused by smoking and unattended embers, respectively.