Rash of House Fires: Examine Appliances, Areas around Electrical Outlets, Plugs

Editorial

15:30 JST, January 14, 2025

Japan has seen a number of house fires, mainly on its Pacific Ocean side. Due to dry air, fires are spreading quickly and many people have died. Each household must make efforts to inspect potential places of fire sources and take fire prevention measures.

According to the Tokyo Fire Department, a total of 82 people died due to house fires in Tokyo last year, including 30 deaths in November and December alone. Two people died when a Liberal Democratic Party Diet member’s condominium, which was her residence, was gutted by fire in late November. Another two people died in a fire that burned 10 houses on New Year’s Eve.

Earlier this year, too, there was a series of house fires that broke out on the same day in Hokkaido, resulting in three confirmed deaths.

This winter, while the nation’s Sea of Japan side has been hit by heavy snowfall, the Pacific Ocean side continues to see little rainfall. Usually, the number of fires is high until around April. For the time being, strict vigilance is needed.

In recent years, fires caused by electrical appliances have been increasing nationwide and have become the number one cause of fires. There are a number of cases in which dust and moisture accumulate around electrical outlets and plugs, causing abnormal heat buildup and resulting in fire.

Also, there can be cases in which batteries used to charge smartphones are placed near heating appliances, causing heat to build up inside them until a fire starts.

In addition to being careful when directly using fire sources such as cigarettes, gas stoves and oil heaters, close attention must be paid to such electrical appliances and the areas around outlets and plugs, among others.

It cannot be overlooked that many elderly people have died in house fires. Of the about 1,000 fatalities per year nationwide, those aged 65 or older account for 70%. It seems that not a few fail to escape due to illness, disability and other reasons.

The Fire Service Law requires the installation in homes of devices that detect smoke and heat and sound an alarm to alert people of a fire as soon as possible.

In houses with these alarms, the number of fatalities and the extent of burned areas are known to be significantly lower than in houses without them. This is because the alarms enable quick action to extinguish fires and evacuate people.

However, older houses where elderly residents have lived for many years may not have such alarms installed. Some local governments have a system to offer subsidies for the purchase of such alarms. It will be important to promote the installation of these alarms in various ways.

Recently, efforts have been underway to prevent the spread of fire by wirelessly connecting alarms in neighboring houses. In some areas, cameras equipped with artificial intelligence watch for fires around the clock.

Failing to escape from fires occurs not only at night but also during the daytime. It is important to check evacuation routes on a regular basis.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 14, 2025)