BUSY FIRE BRIGADES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19859, 1 February 1928, Page 13

BUSY FIRE BRIGADES.

CALLS DURING JANUARY. A PHENOMENAL NUMBER. ! MANY GRASS OUTBREAKS. RESULT OF THE DRY SPELL. The past month of January has been an exceedingly busy one for ciiy and suburban fire brigades, and their records show how very real is the fire menace ■that is bound to accompany such a prolonged spell of dry weather as is now being experienced. In every case the number of calls received has been high above the monthly average, and the great majority of the outbreaks have been in grass, gorse and other rubbish. In some districts the number of January calls is Tiot far short of the total generally received during a whole year. The month will long be remembered by brigadesmen, and no section of tie community will jnr.ore heartily welcome a soaking downpour when it comes. An examination of the detailed figures supplied from various districts shows that of upwards of 250 fire alarms given during January in and around the city, about 200 were occasioned by grass fires. The City Fire Brigade had to respond to 205 elarms during tha month, and of these 67 were dry-weather fires in gorse and rubbish, and 26 in buildings. It attended nine fires beyond its own district. In Mount Albert 33 alarms were given, of which no fewer than 29 were for grass fires. Threo were for outbreaks in houses, and one was a false alarm. Similarly, in Mount Eden, the brigade xi-as summoned 23 times, and in nearly every instance the fire it was called upon to suppress was in grass and rubbish, The Mount Roskill Brigade was formed *s recently as April of last year, find now it has been able to prove the full extent of its usefulness. During 1927 it was called to only five fires, but this year it has been called out to 12 already, and ail of them have been grass fires. Many of them have occasioned no little risk to surrounding property, but, thanks to the activities of the brigade, no serious damage has been done. The Onebunga Brigade had to turn out 24 time? during the month, and, apart from three false alarms, it was a grass fire they were called tipon to suppress in every instance. In Devonport, a district usually very free from fires, the brigade had to answer ten summonses, nine of which were to grass fires caused by the dry spell, and the other to a house. The number of calls is probably a monthly record in the history of the brigade. Of the ten calls which the Ellerslie Brigade received during the month, eight >ere to burning grass or scrub. Threo calls out of t'na nine received at the Newmarket station were to grass fires cn vacant sections.