Even more deaths in house fires than a year ago

Written by Mirtill Rádonyi

In the first nine months of this year, there were again more than 4,600 house fires. According to the Civil Protection Department, 58 people died in these fires.

Most of the 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 fatalities are seven more than at the same time in 2023.

In order to clarify the exact causes, a fire investigation was launched in 245 cases. Most frequently, the flames were caused by electrical faults, open flames, defects in the heating system or while cooking. Most frequently, these occurred in the kitchen, bedroom, fireplace, storeroom 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 cylinders in the building. A total of 140 properties caught fire due to deliberate arson.

Only 15 of the houses affected had smoke alarms, although these devices would allow the flames to be extinguished quickly and/or escape the fire trap in the early stages of the fire. Victims of house fires are mostly elderly people living alone. For these households, it is worth purchasing a smoke alarm that not only sounds the alarm, but also sends a signal to the smartphone of contact persons. So far this year, the fire brigade has been alerted 778 times due to carbon monoxide: 92 people suffered poisoning and the lives of six people could no longer be saved.