H.—l2

Table I.— Causes of Fire.

2—H. 12.

3

Cities over 20,000 Population: All Fire Districts : Eight-year Average, 1/4/31-31/3/39. Year ended 31st March, 1939. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Number ! Number Number Number Number Number of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. of Fire Loss. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. j ; ; I ££££££ Defective electrical installations .. .. .. .. 1*2 58 2*2 300 3*5 358 2 114 8 2,039 10 2,153 Electric irons and radiators left on .. .. .. 17*4 3,095 7*1 2,579 24-5 5,674 31 6,394 10 5,025 41 11,419 Short circuits and overheating .. .. .. .. 7*6 589 16*7 1,774 24-4 2,363 19 2,723 28 1,172 47 3,895 Other electrical faults .. .. .. .. .. 1*9 167 4-4 336 6-2 504 .. .. 2 3 2 3 Gas explosions .. .. .. .. .. 0-9 54 0-4 2 1-2 55 .. .. .. .. Gas-rings, &c., left on or in contact with curtains, &c. .. 6-7 552 4-4 266 11-1 818 9 138 7 34 16 172 Defective gas installations .. .. .. .. 3-1 101 0-9 93 4*0 194 3 19 1 70 4 89 Candles in contact with curtains, &c. .. .. .. 5-5 479 0-5 2 6-0 480 3 11 2 11 5 22 Lamps, stoves —overturned or exploded .. .. .. 2*1 78 1*1 28 3-2 106 1 17 1 33 2 50 Miscellaneous, due to naked lights .. .. .. 5*1 779 4-2 550 9-4 1,329 13 2,090 14 3,921 27 6,011 Defective chimneys and flues .. .. .. .. 18-5 1,521 5*1 233 23*6 1,754 30 3,234 12 325 42 3,559 Defective hearths, fireplaces, and furnaces .. .. 19-4 786 3-0 282 22-4 1,068 25 281 6 237 31 518 Defective hot-water svsterns .. .. .. .. 1*5 254 0-6 69 2-1 324 Lighted match dropped .. .. .. .. 14-9 2,263 8-9 3,675 23-7 5,938 9 568 4 228 13 796 Children playing with matches .. .. .. .. 9-2 261 2*5 112 11*7 373 15 651 3 5 18 656 Smoking in bed .. .. .. .. .. 4-7 173 .. .. 4*7 173 10 212 .. .. 10 212 Cigarette or cigar butts dropped .. .. .. 11*9 1,143 11*7 3,430 23*6 4,573 21 1,880 19 1,368 40 3,248 Ashes from pipes, sparks from cigarettes .. .. .. 2-4 282 0*6 46 3*0 327 2 5 1 1 3 6 Rats chewing matches .. .. .. .. .. 0*7 11 0-6 138 1*4 149 2 17 1 10 3 27 Miscellaneous causes: Smoking and matches .. .. 4-5 312 2*2 8,778 6-7 9,090 5 398 4 63,910 9 64,308 Sparks from fireplaces, furnaces, &c. .. .. .. 36-4 3,448 12-5 1,031 48-9 4,479 70 8,172 27 963 97 9,135 Airing clothes before a fire .. .. .. .. 4-2 851 1*9 144 6-1 995 9 553 1 116 10 669 Ashes placed in wooden boxes, &c. .. .. .. 10*1 419 4-1 156 14*2 575 16 724 6 354 22 1,078 Heating tar, polishes, &c. .. .. .. .. 6-7 291 9*1 1,764 15*9 2,055 14 701 8 534 22 1,235 Spontaneous combustion .. .. .. .. 2*2 387 5-5 3,321 7-7 3,708 4 755 4 200 8 955 Allowing benzine. &c., near naked lights .. .. .. 6*1 304 4*7 563 10*9 867 5 125 / l,ol5 12 1,640 Arson .. .. .. .. .. 3*4 395 1*7 562 5*1 957 3 400 3 38 6 438 Suspicious origin .. .. .. .. .. 8*2 2,640 5*1 6,440 13*4 9,080 8 1,208 3 170 11 1,378 Overheating of and sparks from machinery .. .. • • • • 5*6 1,255 5*6 1,255 .. .. 8 650 8 650 Soarks from bush and gorse fires .. .. .. 3*4 114 0-9 28 4*2 142 2 / .. .. 2 / Sparks from rubbish fires .. .. .. .. 7*9 307 i-5 246 12*4 553 22 663 21 2,551 Sparks from chimneys, locomotives, &c. .. .. .. 9*4 226 8*7 915 18-1 1,141 15 632 12 855 27 1,487 Blow-lamps used for burning off paint .. .. .. 15*6 695 1-4 23 17*0 718 20 1,666 2 24 22 1,690 Fires spread from other buildings .. .. .. 11*7 2,909 6*6 2,126 18*4 5,035 43 11,432 31 16,62/ 74 28,059 Miscellaneous known causes .. .. .. .. 13*4 629 18*4 2,231 31*7 2,861 22 1,072 23 45 5,7o3 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. . • 72*2 22,938 59*5 83,340 131*7 106,278 134 45,732 109 241,908 243 287,640 Total .. .. .. .. •• 350*1 49,511 227*3 126,838 577*7 176,349 587 92,594 388 348,895 975 441,489 Loss per fire Known causes .. .. .. • • • • • • 96 .. 259 .. 157 .. 103 .. 384 .. 210 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. •• •• 317 .. 1,401 .. 807 .. 341 .. 'J? *' ' ? All causes .. .. .. .. .• . • •• 141 .. 557 .. 305 .. 158 .. 899 .. 453