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One in two Quebec residential fires caused by human error

Oct. 11, 2022, Quebec – As Fire Prevention Week was launched on Sunday, the Quebec Ministry of Public Security highlighted the importance of taking the right steps to protect yourself, with half of residential fires caused by human error.

In all, the province sees “13 homes damaged every day” by fire, the ministry noted, for an annual total of 400 injured and 29,000 people forced out of their homes.

The city of Montreal says cigarette butts and other items related to smoking are the cause of some residential fires.

More and more fires are caused by devices that have lithium-ion batteries, such as cellphones, computers and even scooters and electric bicycles, the city of Montreal says, stressing the importance of verifying that batteries in such devices are not damaged, to use chargers that meet Canadian safety standards and to protect the batteries from heat.

“We know that 85 per cent of fires on the island of Montreal are linked to distraction or human negligence,” said Alain Vaillancourt, head of public security on the executive committee, in a press release. “Certain daily actions can prevent major material losses, serious injuries and even deaths. We can all make a difference to raise awareness and inform the population of behaviours to avoid.”

During Fire Prevention Week, which will be held until next Saturday, several fire departments will organize open houses so that the population can visit the fire stations and learn more about both the job and prevention. The Montreal Fire Department will also offer emergency situation simulations.