KNOWLEDGE HELPS TO STOP FIRE STARTING

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 70, 7 September 1965, Page 9

KNOWLEDGE HELPS TO STOP

FIRE STARTING

If people knew what makes a fire, they could do more to prevent one from starting or to put it out. Three things are needed for a fire — fuel to burn, heat to make it burn, air to keep it burning. If any one of these is taken away, a fire cannot ,burn. Most fires can be put out by cooling or smothering — the removal of heat or oxygen. Fire spreads from one thing to another and from one place to another, in three different ways. Materials such as sheet metal con-

rduct it to another object, or fire can spread by flying sparks or draughts of hot air. As hot air ris.es, overheated air may gather at the top of a building and make it burst into flame. Finally the radiation of heat from a burning building may cause a nearby object to catch fire. Firemen have a saying "a clean building seldom burns," so most fires can be avoided simply by having no stored odds and ends, rubbish piles or untidy closets. Regular cleaning-out of closets, attics and wardrobes can prevent useless, burnable objects becoming a fire hazard. • Fire prevention week begins in Taupo 011 September 27 when the Taupo Volunteer Fire Brigade will arrange public demonstrations and throw open the fire station to interested residents.