HUGE FIRE LOSS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19715, 4 September 1929, Page 15

HUGE FIRE LOSS.

FIGURES FOR THE DOMINION. CARELESSNESS MAIN CAUSE. (THE PRESS SpecUl Service] WELLINGTON, September 3. The fire loss in New Zealand for the twelve months which ended on December 31st last was estimated at £1,636,118, or £1 2s 6d per head of population, according to the annual report of the Inspector of Fire Brigades presented to Parliament to-day. The number of calls received was 3046, including 637 false alarms, 339 of them being reported as of malicious origin. The report showed that the penalties imposed on offenders were inadequate. With three or four exceptions the fines ranged mostly from a few shillings to three or four pounds. Of the fires reported, 1350 were property fires, 354 chimney fires, and CO9 bush, grass, and rubbish fires. The heaviest fire loss was Wellington's £294,070. Incendiarism was returned as the cause of 40 fires, involving a loss of £11,210. The following were the causes of the fires reported:—Electric irons, kettles, and cookers left switched on were responsible for 40 fires, with a loss of £34,540; children with matches and matches thrown down alight, 125 fires, loss £36,993; cigarette butts and smoking, 68 fires, loss £12,935; sparks from copper fires and fireplaces, 92 fires, loss £12,146; live ashes thrown out, 32 fires, loss £11,293; gas rings and stoves, 26 fires, loss £8103; airing clothes before the fire, 15 fires, loss £4423; naked lights in proximity to benzine, 49 fires, loss £2558; a total of 447 fires causing a loss amounting to £ 123,591, practically all due to carelessness in some form or degree.