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 January 1, 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.