Fire authority warns of increase in fires

Shanghai fire authorities warned residents Thursday to be aware that fires are more likely to occur over the next few months because of the drier weather.

"The dry weather during the late autumn and winter makes it easier for fires to break out. People also don't react as fast when the weather is cold," said Zhou Meiliang, press officer for the Shanghai Municipal Fire Bureau.

Fifty-one fires broke out in the city in the 24 hours preceding the bureau's morning tally of fires Thursday, according to its official microblog.

It was about five times the average daily figure for this year. Fire officials said at a press conference Wednesday that 3,175 fires have occurred in city this year as of Tuesday. That amounts to about 10 fires each day.

The number of fires in the city fell 40 percent year-on-year from the same period last year, officials said at the press conference.

Shanghai has experienced fewer fires this year because authorities have stepped up fire prevention efforts ahead of the once-a-decade leadership change at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which started Thursday. "There have been fewer fires because this is the year of the 18th Party congress. We have put more effort into eliminating fire hazards," Zhou told the Global Times.

The bureau dispatched fire inspectors to more than 189,000 locations in the city this year, including subway stations, factories and office towers. The inspectors temporarily suspended operations or shut down more than 3,000 sites where fires are prone to occur.

In total, 25 people were killed and 39 injured in this year's fires, officials said Wednesday.

The majority of the causalities occurred in small fires at sites smaller than 10 square meters. "The causalities are usually elderly residents who had been using their electric appliances improperly. They are usually asphyxiated by the smoke while still asleep," Zhou said.

The bureau will hold open houses at city fire stations Sunday for Fire Prevention Week, which starts Friday, according to a report on the news website Eastday.com.