Firefighters responded to fewer incidents in the first four months of the year, thanks in part to the circuit breaker period that resulted in many workplaces being shut.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to 719 fire incidents between January and April, 38.5 per cent down from the 1,169 reported in the same period last year.

More than half of the fires this year broke out on residential premises.

Firefighters also responded to 424 minor fires involving rubbish chutes and bins in residences in the four months to April 30 - 15.5 per cent fewer than last year.

While fire incidents fell overall, the SCDF noted that this trend was reversed in April, when the circuit breaker measures came into force.

There were 130 fire incidents that month involving rubbish chutes or bins in residences, a 56.6 per cent surge from the 83 cases reported in April last year.

The SCDF said such small fires can be easily put out by members of the public, who are urged to not throw flammable items or lighted material into bins or rubbish chutes.

It also said the volume of fire-related calls remains high, as more people than usual may contact the SCDF over a single incident.

Warrant Officer (WO) Derrick Neo, senior operations centre specialist, said this is because more people are at home, so more of them may witness incidents.

In the past, the service would receive five to 10 calls concerning a single fire, but now its operations centre gets double that for an incident, he added.

"Singaporeans are all at home, and they are more civic-minded," said WO Neo.