The hidden danger of fire and explosion from the habit of burning votive paper indiscriminately

On the afternoon of September 1, a serious fire broke out in a two-story house in lane 82, Vu Chi Thang street (Nghia Xa ward, Le Chan district, Hai Phong city) due to burning votive paper.

According to authorities, the fire originated on the second floor (rooftop area) of the house and quickly spread downwards.

Fortunately, the fire did not cause any casualties, but the two-story house was burned down.

running house hai phong.jpg — Scene of fire at two-story house in Hai Phong

Previously, on the afternoon of August 6, a fire caused by people's lack of awareness when burning votive paper broke out in an apartment building in Minh Khai Ward (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi ). The fire broke out from the building's garbage chute, causing suffocating smoke on the 3rd floor and quickly spread to other floors.

Upon receiving the news, the authorities arrived at the scene and controlled the fire after 10 minutes.

The cause of the fire was determined to be a resident on the third floor intentionally burning votive paper in the wrong place.

fire prevention and fighting 5.jpg — People need to equip themselves with fire prevention skills.

A representative of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department said that in reality, fires related to burning votive papers are mainly due to human carelessness and subjectivity. Many people burn votive papers in the wrong places, near flammable objects, and the process of burning votive papers is not supervised by anyone, allowing the fire to spread to surrounding objects...

“Burn votive paper must be done in the right place, with someone watching and supervising the entire burning process until the fire is completely extinguished. When burning votive paper, choose a well-ventilated place, away from flammable materials. In addition, do not burn too much at once, and limit the amount and size of votive paper,” a representative of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department advised.

The representative of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department also noted that votive paper should be burned in containers made of non-flammable materials such as iron or stainless steel metal barrels, bronze or concrete censer... with tight lids to prevent ash or embers from spreading around, causing a risk of fire or explosion. People also need to wait until the fire is out, then sprinkle water on the ash.

In addition, the representative of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department recommends that each household also needs to equip itself with fire prevention and fighting equipment and means such as fire extinguishers, rope ladders, breaking tools or other protective equipment.

People also need to equip themselves with knowledge related to fire prevention and fighting, instruct family members on the use of fire fighting equipment and escape skills in case of fire or explosion.

“Fire prevention and fighting equipment in households also need to be regularly inspected to ensure that when a fire or explosion occurs, these devices can still be used. One thing to note in particular is that when a fire occurs, people need to quickly notify the fire department via phone number 114 or the Fire Alarm 114 application,” emphasized a representative of the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department.

Especially on holidays and Tet, when people burn votive paper, they need to pay special attention to the risk of fire and explosion if the paper is not burned in the right place and in the right way.

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