The winter season, when fires are frequent, has returned. At home, fires were tallied as occurring when flammable items were left near heating or cooking appliances, and at factories, when using electrical or mechanical equipment. Property damage from fires that started from cigarette butts topped 150 billion won over five years.
According to the National Fire Agency on the 17th, there were a total of 191,510 fire accidents over the past five years (2020–2024). By month, there were 17,916 in December → 18,072 in January → 17,017 in February → 18,727 in March, showing that fires occurred frequently in winter and spring.
There were 11,961 fire accidents with casualties in the past five years, and those occurring from December to March accounted for nearly 40% (4,771 cases). This is attributed to the use of heating devices and dry weather that turns small embers into big fires.
An analysis of data on fire accidents with casualties found that in single-family and multi-unit homes, the leading cause was "leaving combustibles nearby," with 125 cases. It was said that fires often spread into major blazes when items placed next to heating or cooking appliances caught fire. Next came "device use/negligence" with 108 cases, "simple negligence" with 96, and "gas leaks" with 88.
At factory facilities and restaurants, the No. 1 causes of fires with casualties were "device use/negligence," with 20 cases, and "gas leaks," with 30 cases, respectively. For vehicle fires with casualties, "traffic accidents (42 cases)" were the most common cause, but "overheating/overload (20 cases)" was also cited as a key factor.
There are also not a few cases where fires starting from cigarette butts led to casualties. There were 743 cases over the past five years. Forty-one percent (304 cases) were concentrated from December to March.
Property damage from fires caused by cigarette butts totaled 154 billion won over five years. In particular, cigarette butts, along with electrical factors, were named as a major cause of fires at factories and warehouses that resulted in large property damage of 10 billion won or more.
Fire authorities designated the period from the 1st of this month to Feb. 28, 2026, as the winter fire safety response period and decided to conduct inspections focused on vulnerable facilities. They also plan to operate a "fire evacuation safety call service" starting in December to quickly alert and guide evacuation for residents who have difficulty evacuating on their own, such as children in care, older adults, and people with disabilities.