The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1931. FIRES AND CARELESSNESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1931, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1931. FIRES AND CARELESSNESS.

The statement of a superintendent of a lire brigade at the conference at Nelson last week that Jack of knowledge of the public in regard to lire prevenUiou is “lamentable” can hardly be held to be extravagant. Unfortunately, as a comteinporary points out, it is completely confirmed by the statistical record of iires and fire losses. Lack of knowledge is, indeed, a rather euphemistic description of the carelessness on the part of the pubic to which are attributable hundreds of destructive Tires in New Zealand every year. In a review of the causes of fires over a five-year period ended fii 1829; cue Census a,iid fcUiltistids Office states that front thb results of investigation “it is plainly evident that the majority of fires are preventable a lid are the results of carelessness ns to the immediate cm use of fire or as to the contributory cause arising out. of faulty construction and fitting up of buildings.” It is not necessary to hold the public responsible for fires that come under the last-named heading, though it is more than possible that the failure to obtain responsible supervision of construction is the real cause of many fires due to building faults. In respect of fires caused through carelessness, however, the public is entirely blameworthy. The statistics show that sparks and embers from fireplaces, ancl kindred causes, caused 3,147 fires in the period of five years, and involved a loss of £322,311. The element of carelessness is very evident in no fewer than 1,056 of such fires, which originated in the airing of clothes before a firo, while 2771 fires resulted from embers falling from fireplaces in private dwellings. Smoking is shown to bo a prolific source of fires, 348 cases resulting from “smoking in bed,” 312 from the careless disposal of discarded cigarette ends, and 469 from the dropping of lighted matches. The iise of electric devices accounted for 1537 fires, involving a loss of £354,967, and it is significant that the majority of fires so caused were “not due to any inherent hazard as far as electricity it. self is concerned,” but to faulty installation or to the careless use of appliances. The origin of 749 fires was in electric irons, “and in nearly every instance,” the report adds, “it was a case of 'power left on.’ ” Another frequent cause of fire is the contact of naked lights with curtains, bedclothes, and so on, 1292 fires in the period falling under this classification, and the fact that the number of fires due to this cause shows a tendency to decrease is held to be consequent not on the exercise of greater care by the public but on the increasing extent to which electricity furnishes the illuminant. The “use and misuse” of hiirhlv inflammable spirits and materials U another cause of fires that should in many cases have been avoided, the loss iii five years being £124.196 from 507 fires, and beating and boiling-down caused damage to the extent of £14.942 in 300 fires. The fire-loss problem in th<> Dominion has been the subjoct -O' no little concern in recent years, and losses have shown a tendency to in. creas> steadily although the efficiency of the fire service is undoubtedly being increased. As long, however, as the public continues to he ns neglectful of the ordinnrv .eommonsense precautions against fire as it appears to he. the loss in nronerty cannot be expected to be materially reduced, no matter how well organised fire-fighting appliances may 'become.