This year, Fire Prevention Week runs from October 9 to 15 under the theme “Fire Prevention is Your Responsibility!” and we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week in North America. In 2021, there were 1,246 building fires in the Greater Montréal area. While this is a decrease of 139 from the previous year, these fires caused nearly $86.4 million in damage.
In the past year, 29% of residential fires were related to cooking while 27% were related to smoking. Electrical fires accounted for 11% of residential fires.
We’re seeing more and more fire outbreaks related to recharging electronic devices powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and the risk of overheating. Scooters, cell phones and computers are examples of such devices.
Human behavior is also involved in 85% of all fires, and 63% of these occur between noon and midnight. Preoccupations, such as working from home or having children around while doing daily chores, take a toll on your attention span.
The Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (the SIM, our fire department) would like to remind you that simple actions can avoid the worst. You have the power to change these statistics.
Learn what you should do when cooking, smoking, or using electronic devices containing lithium-ion batteries.
*Statistical data source: Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM), 2021