FIRE RISKS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20289, 15 July 1931, Page 10

FIRE RISKS.

UNATTENDED ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES. t . DEFECTIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. "Leaving electric ovens' and irons switched on, you cannot legislate for; that sort of thing will always happen. What we can do is to try to minimise the practice as much a& possible," ■was the comment made by Mr T. M. Charters, chairman of the Christchurch Fire Board, at last night's meeting, on a clause in the superintendent's report. _ ' The clause referred to was aB follows: "I have strongly to condemn the growing practice of many occupiers of dwellings in leaving- their electric stoves, kettles, and irons switched on and going away for the day, with no one in attendance on the premises. The inevitable result causes much damage by fir© through nothing lass than sheer carelessness. Three calls of this nature were made on . the brigade services within the past months "During the: past month seven fires were caused through defective building construction. In two cases, the woodwork was built in witn the chimney, thus forming part of the brickwork! and m another case the floor joints formed part of the foundation for the chimney; in fact the whole of the seven premises were built with absolutely no regard, for the safety of the people who had to occupy them, and although much has been written about earthquake risks' and Commissions set up' to frame building regulations, yet from experience I consider that without some proper supervision over contractors the regulations would be useless as m a number of cases they are at the present time." Amateur Electricians. ' Mr K. W. Robinson gave an instance of interference with a switehte+T® ™ autllor ised person Iw • for the presence of an electrician ©n the premises, would have resulted in a fire. The whole trouble, he said, was the amateur work done hy people who thought that they they were doing The chairman: Really thev ara not plaKl 40 anythiug electrical | Mr Robinson : Rules and reetulatl ~>rs i ara no good without .5* trtstsarw ] as away, to switch off and disconnect "lie Defective Building-. ferrod t t rt n l !Jl <ii - Ilg^-Mr barters reJKWffiTKfi* *Br a putable builder Vet \u y ? . rc " It was decided to forward a cow of the clause in the renorf +#\ +1 • olmrch City Chr i st " Borough Counoi? tlfi W • . Rlcc *rton