A total of 1,127 fire accidents in China killed 17 people and injured 10 others during the three-day New Year's Day holiday starting from January1, according to the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.

The fire accidents, down by 11.3 percent compared with last year, had brought a direct economic loss of 5.93 million yuan (US$868,000), the ministry's fire bureau said.

The fire-fighting forces across the country dispatched in total 44,845 firemen and 7,161 fire engines during the holiday, retrieving more than 220 million yuan in property, it said.

Winter is usually a high-risk season of fire as the use of electricity, gas, and other fuels surged.