ORIGIN OF FIRES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 98, 28 April 1938, Page 18

ORIGIN OF FIRES.

MANY FALSE ALARMS.

FIRE AREA REPORT. Of 95 calls received for the month ended April 20 in the Auckland metropolitan fire district, the causes of 39 fires could not be traced.

This was reported at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board by the superintendent, Mr. W. L. Wilson. Mr. J. J. Kingston was in the chair.

The origins of the remaining fires were listed as follow: —Backfire of engine, 1; benzine fumes in contact with naked light, 1; benzine leaking on to hot exhaust, 1; burning off gorse or grass, 4; burning of rubbish, 1; set alight by children, 1; foul chimneys, 1; electric iron left switched on, 2; short circuit in house wiring, 1; short circuit in motor car wiring, 4; cigarette dropped on seat of motor car, 1;. cigarette lighting near benzine pump, 1; street cable fusing, 1; embers falling from copper fire, 1; lighted match thrown from windown, 1; sparks from house chimney, 1; sparks from copper fire, 1; sparks from furnace, 2; sparks from railway engine, 5.

Of the false alarms, six were justifiable, one was accidental, five were due to line faults, three were due to faulty installations, and nine were malicious.