Rise in industrial fire incidents last year

Muscat: There has been a 12 per cent increase in the number of fires recorded in industrial areas last year, according to recent statistics issued by the Public Authority of Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA).
The authority said that there were seven more fire incidents recorded in 2018 compared to 2017. However, the number of incidents is lower than the 68 fires recorded in 2016, the highest in the three-year period.
Statistics show that in 2017, the number of fire incidents in the industrial areas was 54. However, the figure increased to 61 incidents in 2018, according to a statement by PACDA.
PACDA attributes these incidents to factors such as, noncompliance with regular maintenance of safety systems, storage of hazardous materials and a lack of examination of electrical devices.
Advising industrial enterprises, the authority stated that industrial organisations should train their employees to deal with such incidents, assign a person responsible for the building’s safety and commit to regular maintenance.