FIRE LOSS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 October 1932, Page 6

FIRE LOSS

INCREASE LAST YEAR. THE ANNUAL REPORT. WELLINGTON, October 19. Nearly fifty per cent, of all fires in New Zealand arise from carelessness in connection with coaling and heating fires, wihile second in importance as a ■cause of fires is the carele suess of smokers, says the annual report of Mr \R. Girling .Butcher, Inspector of Fire Brigades, which was tabled in the House . to-day. The Dominion’s fire lo'-s in 1931 was £1,292,094, compared with £1.139,691 in th e previous ycrir. These figures are the total payments made by insurance companies, plus a percentage for fire loss not covered by insurance. This percentagg is based on the returns of uninsured loss in Fire Board districts, and since uninsured loss in areas not protected by fire brigades would certainly be higher, th 6 figures ,represent a conservative estimate of the Dominion fire waste. The figures for 1931 do not include any fire loss caused directly or indirectly by the Hawke's Bay earthquake, but they do include an amount of approximately £1(50,000 for fires which occurred in the district during till© period following the earthquake, when the water supply and fire-fighting arrangements were not in operation. Every year sees an increase in the number of fires ascribed to electricity in some form or other, tliree-fourths of them being due to electric irons, radiators, or other movable equipment. The increase in the number of electrical fires is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in fires due to accident with naked lights. In 1926, for instance, electrical fires and those from naked lights each represented approximately 10 per c e nt. of this total, while in 1930 the percentage had altered to 14 per cent, and 6 per cent, respectively.

DEFECTIVE CHIMNEYS. • From ten to fifteen per cent, of fires are reported to be due to defective chimneys. This is one of the very few causes of fire which cannot be charged to the carelessness of the occupier of the building. The principal defects causing fire are insufficient foundations, woodwork placed below the hearth, or inset in the brickwork, insufficient brickwork between th e back of the fireplace or flue, and surrounding woodwork, mantelpiece carried below the 'brickwork, and purging of omitted Or badly carried out. Even wlhen a chimney is otherwise we' built, hazards may arise if poor mortar iq iped. To ishow how serious the position is, the .experience of one company might be quoted. This firm employed an expert builder to exunyne chimneys in the Waikato district, and in all 1236 buildings were inspected. Two hundred and eight chimneys were found defective, and of these aTfbut one-third were classed as very dangerous, and one-third fairly dangerous. FATAL FIRES. Departmental records show that during the year fourteen persons were actually burned to death, five succumbed to burns received at fires, and o»e was killed by a fall while cutting off tfhe power from a burning buildinv In addition to these, twenty fatal cidents, nearly two hundred person." received more or less serious injurin' either from 'burns or from falls occurring during fires.