Five people died in 2,706 cases of fires reported across China from Jan. 22 to 28, a sharp decrease year-on-year as the country made huge efforts in taking precautions and curbing potential risks.

The annual Spring Festival holiday is usually a fire-prone period as revelers celebrate with fireworks. During last year's holiday, 40 people were killed in more than 118,000 fire cases.

According to a statement released Saturday by the Ministry of Public Security, fires during this year's seven-day holiday also injured two and caused losses totalling more than 18.22 million yuan (2.89 million U.S. dollars).

During the holiday, the country's police and firefighters launched a special campaign to check potential fire risks in shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and tourist attractions, with additional focus on the making and selling of firecrackers.

According to the statement, more than 56,000 special teams across the country inspected some 559,000 units, rectifying 2.57 million spots at risk for fire.

Also during the holiday, some 140,000 police and firefighters across the country were mobilized in response to 12,000 fire control missions, rescuing 1,754 people and evacuating thousands.