2024-10-08 14:50:00
House fires
In the first nine months of this year there were more than 4,600 house fires. 58 people died in these cases, the civil protection agency said.
The majority of fires (560) occurred in Pest County, 525 in Budapest and 475 in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. The fires destroyed a total of more than 57,000 m2 of built-up areas. 420 people were injured in the fires, 22 more than in the same period last year. The 58 deaths are seven more than at the same time in 2023.
In order to clarify the exact causes, a fire investigation was started in 245 cases. The flames were often caused by electrical faults, open flames, faults in the heating system or during cooking. These often occurred in the kitchen, bedroom, fireplace, storage room and living room. In 32 cases, the extinguishing work was made more difficult by solar panels installed on the roof, and in 207 cases by gas bottles in the building. A total of 140 properties caught fire as a result of deliberate arson.
Only 15 of the affected houses had smoke detectors, although these devices would have allowed the flames to be quickly extinguished and/or escape from the fire trap in the early stages of the fire. Victims of house fires are mostly elderly people who live alone. For these families, it is worth buying a smoke detector that not only sounds the alarm, but also sends a signal to the smartphone of those in contact. So far this year, the fire department has been notified 778 times because of carbon monoxide: 92 people suffered poisoning and six lives could no longer be saved.
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