FIRES IN CITY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22198, 15 September 1937, Page 8

FIRES IN CITY

HOW AND WHERE THEY HAPPEN . FIGURES IN ANNUAL REPORT OF BOARD Where and how fires most commonly occur in the city is indicated in informative summaries m the annual report of the Christchurch Fire Board for the year ended March 31. Entitled “causes of fires and “risks and trades,” the summaries cover 157 calls to actual arcs answered by the headquarters fire station. The largest individual fire loss in the year was £6677; and there were four other fires in which the loss exceeded £IOOO. Of the fires of which the causes are known, by far the greater number were caused by sparks; there were 23 such fires. Next in order of danger, by the figures, come matches (various causes), responsible tor B fires, and smoking, also responsible for 12. “Hot ashes in contact, painters’ blow-lamps, and overheating of ovens, caused 10, nine, and eight fires respectively. The clanger of carelessness use of electric equipment m homeis emphasised by the numbe fires attributed to this cause. Foji electric irons left switched on, electric radiator and a jug-heatei, caused damage. More fires, however, originated in defective electr c equipment—seven m short circuits, one in the fusing of an electnc sign, and one in a defective electric cistern. . , Other causes which seemed to suggest the need of proper precaution were: —Candle in contact with wallpaper, gas ring left burning, hot shovel in contact, ignition of fumes of petrol, turpentine, spray paint, and toilet cream, throwing kerosene on a fire, rubbish in contact, and boiling over of tar. More fires occurred in private dwellings than anywhere else—4s in occupied houses, and three in unoccupied. Sheds and washhouses, 13 and 11 fires respectively, were next in order among outbreaks in buildings. There were 15 fires in motor vehicles. The remainder of the 157 fires were distributed in ones and twos among almost all conceivable types of city and suburban premises. The total number of calls received was 373, a decrease of 13 compared with the previous year. There were 46 malicious false alarms, and 26 false alarms from various causes.