H.—l2

Table I.— Causes of Fire.

6

Cities over 20,000 Population: All Fire Districts : Seven-year Average, 1/4/31-31/3/38. Year ending 31st March, 1938. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Number j Number Number Number Number Number of I Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of j Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. • 1 I i | I ££££££ Defective electrical installations .. .. .. .. 1*1 50 1-4 51 2-6 101 1 5 1 77 2 82 Electric irons and radiators left on .. .. .. 16-7 2,779 7-3 2,432 24-0 5,211 18 4,359 11 2,742 29 7,101 Short circuits and overheating .. .. •• •• 6-4 304 15-4 1,888 21-9 2,192 15 460 24 6,488 39 6,948 Other electrical faults .. .. .. .. .. 2-1 191 4-7 384 6-9 575 5 1,612 15 955 20 2,567 Gas explosions .. .. .. .. .. 1-0 61 0-4 2 1-4 63 1 4 1 2 2 6 Gas-rings, &c., left on or in contact with curtains, &c. .. 6-7 614 4-0 299 10-7 913 9 2,118 8 128 17 2,246 Defective gas-installations .. .. .. .. 3-3 113 0-9 96 4-1 209 6 259 1 73 7 332 Candles in contact with curtains, &c. .. .. .. 5-9 546 0-6 2 6-4 547 3 15 1 1 4 16 Lamps, stoves —overturned or exploded .. .. .. 2-3 87 1*1 27 3-4 115 3 4 1 120 4 124 Miscellaneous, due to naked lights .. .. .. 4-6 653 3-3 163 7-9 816 11 392 5 754 16 1,146 Defective chimneys and flues .. .. .. .. 18-1 1,481 4-6 261 22-7 1,742 26 2,338 7 4,472 33 6,810 Defective hearths, fireplaces, and furnaces .. .. 19-0 860 2-9 295 21-9 1,155 24 1,778 5 194 29 1,972 Defective hot-water systems .. .. .. .. 1*7 291 0-7 79 2-4 370 3 226 4 547 7 773 Lighted match dropped .. .. .. .. 16*0 2,514 9-6 4,168 25-6 6,682 5 214 6 475 11 689 Children playing with matches .. .. .. .. 9-0 215 2-6 127 11-6 342 23 244 4 32 27 276 Smoking in bed .. .. .. .. .. 4-3 193 .. .. 4-3 193 9 937 .. .. 9 937 Cigarette or cigar butts dropped .. .. .. 11-0 1,074 11-3 3,745 22-3 4,820 23 1,810 11 3,535 34 5,345 Ashes from pipes, sparks from cigarettes .. .. .. 2-4 321 0-6 52 3-0 373 3 1,600 1 4 4 1,604 Rats chewing matches .. .. .. .. .. 0-6 10 0-6 156 1*1 166 1 1,310 .. .. 1 1,310 Miscellaneous causes —smoking and matches .. .. 4-7 353 2-1 904 6-9 1,258 17 1,135 7 4,744 24 5,879 Sparks from fireplaces, furnaces, &c. .. .. .. 34-7 3,100 11-3 1,050 46-0 4,151 63 4,874 11 805 74 5,679 Airing clothes before a fire .. .. .. .. 4*0 926 2-1 164 6-1 1,090 8 424 7 273 15 697 Ashes placed in wooden boxes, &c. .. .. .. 9-7 434 4-0 131 13-7 564 24 967 5 22 29 989 Heating tar, polishes, &c. .. .. .. .. 5-7 • 232 9-4 1,961 15 1 2,193 9 160 24 7,380 33 7,540 Spontaneous combustion .. .. .. .. 2*0 334 5-9 3,790 7*9 4,124 2 353 14 2,366 16 2,719 Allowing benzine, &c., near naked lights . .. .. 6-7 335 4-9 519 11-6 853 6 99 8 608 14 707 Arson .. .. .. .. .. 3-7 396 1-9 641 5-6 1,037 3 1,499 4 402 7 1,901 Suspicious origin .. .. . .. .. 8-3 2,802 5-4 7,336 13-7 10,138 7 1,032 4 3,304 11 .4,336 Overheating of and sparks from machinery .. .. .. .. 5-4 1,394 5-4 1,394 .. .. 6 568 6 568 Sparks from bush and gorse fires .. .. .. 3-6 129 1*0 33 4-6 162 3 28 2 71 5 99 Sparks from rubbish fires .. .. .. .. 6-4 265 3-4 160 9-9 425 8 792 6 132 14 924 Sparks from chimneys, locomotives, &c. .. .. .. 8-6 168 8-9 928 17-5 1,095 12 77 9 229 21 306 Blow-lamps used for burning off paint .. .. 15-7 677 1-4 25 17-1 702 20 1,182 2 1,659 22 2,841 Fires spread from other buildings .. .. .. 7-4 1,696 3-3 113 10-7 1,809 4 40 7 969 11 1,009 Miscellaneous known causes .. .. .. .. 12-7 578 19-0 2,187 31-7 2,765 21 521 21 3,765 42 4,286 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. .. 73-1 23,557 56-6 63,633 129-7 87,190 99 20,722 121 68,681 220 89,403 Total .. .. .. .. .. 339-2 48,339 218-0 99,196 557-4 147,535 495 53,590 364 116,577 859 170,167 Loss per fire — Known causes .. .. .. .. .. .. 93 .. 220 . . 141 .. 83 .. 197 . . 126 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. .. .. 322 .. 1,124 .. 672 .. 209 .. 568 .. 406 All causes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 143 .. 455 .. 265 .. 108 ! 320 .. 198