H.—l2.

Table I.— Causes of Fire.

8

I Cities over 20,000 Population: All Fire Districts: Five-year Average, 1/4/31-31/3/36. Year ending 31st March, 1936. Dwellings. j Business Premises. Total. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Number 1 Number Number Number Number Number of Loss. i of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. Fires. i Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. ; £ I £ £ £ £ £ Defective electrical installations .. .. •• 14 70 1-8 56 3-2 126 i 1 106 2 26 3 132 Electric irons and radiators left on .. .. .. 16-2 ,?'? i on« in s i'iis « rfifi 9Q o'«to « q'n08 Short circuits and overheating 4-4 309 11-4 80b 15-8 1,11? 6 666 29 2,842 35 3,508 Other electrical faults 2-4 267 3-6 449 6 0 716 2 831 1 1 3 832 Gas-exDlosions .. .. •• •• •• 0*8 31 0*4 3 1-2 34 1 10 2 1/ 3 27 Gas rings, &c., left on or in contact with curtains, &c. .. 6-2 442 4-0 410 10-2 852 8 1 ' * 12 Defective gas-installations 3-0 57 1-2 134 4-2 191 7 53 2 15 9 68 Candles in contact with curtains, &c. .. .. .. 6-8 760 0-4 1 7-2 761 8 -.3 Lamps, stoves —overturned or exploded .. .. .. 2-4 117 1-2 14 3*6 131 1 0 -o - ' Miscellaneous, due to naked lights .. . .. 2-2 167 0-6 17 --8 184 4 1 - Defective chimneys and flues 19-0 1,740 3-4 2 1 22-4 , 951 24 1,703 8 / 6 32 1,779 Defective hearths, fireplaces, and furnaces -• •• 17-6 732 3 - 2 410 :.0-8 1,142 _3 0 ' " ,, Defective hot-water systems 2-2 384 .. 2-2 384 3 456 . . 3 456 Lighted match dropped 20-0 3,339 11-8 5,596 31-8 8,935 17 553 9 74 26 627 Children playing with matches .. .. .. •• 7-2 262 2-2 116 9-4 3/8 11 - . - -- - Smoking in bed •• ■■ •• 3-4 33 .. .. 3-4 33 2 71 .. .. 2 71 Cigarette or cigar butts dropped 8-2 919 12-0 3,131 20-2 4,050 13 1,117 20 2,778 33 3,895 Ashes from pipes, sparks from cigarettes .. •• -■ 2-4 133 | 0-4 68 L 8 -01 1(9 / Rats chewing matches .. .. •• -• 0-8 15 0-8 -19 l b .. nl 'j Q a " *) i'™ " 7 iq <><!•:> Miscellaneous causes— smoking and matches .. .. 2-4 279 1-6 300 4-0 o79 4 t'rqi lq'nsi Sparks from fireplaces, furnaces, &c. .. .. ... 34-6 3,689 , 10-- f'ooc ocq ' ' 7 Airing clothes before a fire 4-6 1,272 | 1-0 114 5-6 1,386 7 283 . . 7 283 Ashes placed in wooden boxes, &c. .. •• ■ • 8-2 349 3-0 83 11-2 43L 11 o-4 . Heating tar, polishes, &c 5-4 313 ! 6-8 924 12-2 1,237 6 111 7 535 13 646 Spontaneous combustion .. - • •• - 1"6 362 5-- 5?,' /J', ttt n r 4 1AlWing benzine, & c, near naked lights 7-6 437 4-6 511 12 ; | J48 9 6 380 15 Suspicious origin ! !! " .. .. 9-6 3,343 6-6 9,559 16-2 12,902 6 1,130 4 7,967 10 9,097 Overheating of and sparks from machinery .. .. j •• •• ! 5-6 1,582 5-6 1,582 .. .. 8 l,b76 8 Sparks from bush and gorse fires .. .. .. 4-2 175 1*4 46 5*6 221 2 18 .. oa a <\ao Sparks from rubbish fires .. .. ■ ■ 6-8 193 2-0 30 8-8 223 16 -lo 10 Ij? ooo Sparks from chimneys, locomotives, &c. .. .. ■ 9-2 213 10-2 1,248 19-4 1,461 17 451 6 ,141 -3 99-Blow-lamps used for burning off paint .. .. 14-6 415 1-2 21 15-8 436 25 olj .. _ .. -o 5 Fires spread from other buildings .. .. .. i 8-0 2,359 3-6 251 11-6 2,610 4 60 o 770 9 830 Miscellaneous known causes * 11-6 524 17-2 JS05 j 28-8 1,329 34 1,698 28 7.995 9,693 Total known causes I 25SM5 147-6 34,262 407-2 61,225 353 36,557 212 44,061 565 80,618 tCnowncauses ' 77-2 28,019 51-4 68,883 128-6 96,902 124 38,978 84 61,700 208 100,678 Grand total. j 336-8 199-0 103,145 535-8 158,127 477 75.535 296 105,761 773 181,296 L j -■ 103-8 .. 232-1 .. 150-3 .. 104 .. 208 .. 143 Unknown causes .. .. .. •• - • | •• 362-9 .. *2 o " ?qk ? " S AH causes ! -- 163-2 .. »18-3 .. 295-1 .. 158 .. 35/ .. 235 Unoccupied dwellings — _• ! i_i u. II U zz : II — — —