Alliance for a Safe Community chairman highlights 98 fire deaths and RM2.09 billion in losses last year, urging a shift to prevention.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fire safety must not be neglected as the consequences of ignoring it can be fatal, said Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

He cited the 2025 Annual Report of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), which recorded 16,111 fire cases nationwide last year.

Of these, 76% were structural fires, resulting in 98 deaths and RM2.09 billion in property losses.

Lee noted that 55.4% of the fatalities occurred in residential premises.

“We cannot avoid using fire, nor can we afford not to,” he said in a statement.

“Yet, while fire supports modern living, it also brings serious risks when not properly managed.”

Between 2018 and 2024, Malaysia recorded an average of approximately 111 fire-related deaths annually.

Most of these incidents occurred in residential buildings.

“While industrial fires often lead to significant financial losses, domestic fires remain the primary setting for human tragedy,” he added.

Lee said JBPM’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030 marks a shift in approach.

The plan, aligned with the National Fire Policy 2021-2030 and the 13th Malaysia Plan, moves from a response-based model to a prevention-focused one.

This new approach centres on community resilience and ‘humanising safety’.

Fire safety is a shared responsibility among authorities, designers, builders, inspectors and occupants, he concluded.

 The Sun Malaysia