Just like in any other country, fire hazard is a major public concern in South Korea. In 2008, the historical Namdaemun gate, a national treasure, burnt down because of arson. Last year, fire claimed 1891 human lives in Korea and cost an estimated 245 million dollars worth of damages. However, thanks to fire prevention these numbers were actually an improvement over the previous year, and the total number of fires had decreased by 11.5%.