H.—l2,

Table I.— Causes of Fire.

7

Cities over 20,000 Population: All FireDistricts: Six-year Average, 1/4/31 - 31/3/37. Year ending 31st March, 1937. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Dwellings. Business Premises. Total. Number Number Number Number Number Number of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. of Loss. oi .loss. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. Fires. j. £ £ £ £ £ £ Defective electrical installations .. .. .. .. 1 • 2 • 58 1 • 5 47 2-7 105 Electric irons and radiators left on .. .. .. 17-2 2,921 7-3 2,689 24-5 5,610 25 4,467 10 5,838 35 10,305 Short circuits and overheating .. .. .. .. 5-7 291 14-5 1,171 20-2 1,462 13 200 34 5,127 47 5,327 Other electrical faults .. .. .. .. .. 2-0 222 3-3 376 5-3 598 .. .. 2 13 2 13 Gas-explosions .. .. .. .. .. 1-0 71 0-3 2 1-3 73 3 276 .. .. 3 276 Gas rings, &c., left on or in contact with curtains, &c. .. 6-5 432 3-8 344 10-3 776 8 385 5 89 13 474 Defective gas-installations .. .. .. .. 3-0 89 1 0 112 4-0 201 4 263 .. 4 263 Candles in contact with curtains, &c. .. .. .. 6-3 634 0-5 2 6-8 636 8 407 2 11 10 418 Lamps, stoves —overturned or exploded .. .. .. 2-3 101 1-2 12 3-5 113 4 352 2 43 6 395 Miscellaneous, due to naked lights .. .. .. 3-5 696 3-0 65 6-5 761 12 3,359 15 306 27 3,665 Defective chimneys and flues .. .. .. .. 17-8 1,480 4-5 282 22-3 1,762 20 697 14 1,536 34 2,233 Defective hearths, fireplaces, and furnaces .. .. 18 '5 711 2-8 344 21 '3 1,055 29 964 2 175 31 1,139 Defective hot-water systems .. .. .. .. 1-8' 320 0-2 1 2-0 321 1 30 1 5 2 35 Lighted match dropped .. .. .. .. 18-0 2,898 10-3 4,784 28-3 7,682 10 699 3 722 13 1,421 Children playing with matches .. .. .. .. 7-5 230 2-3 143 9-8 373 17 197 3 280 20 477 Smoking in bed .. .. .. .. .. 3-7 70 .. .. 3-7 70 7 321 .. .. 7 321 Cigarette or cigar butts dropped .. .. .. 9-8 978 11-7 2,794 21-5 3,772 20 1,311 14 1,150 34 2,461 Ashes from pipes, sparks from cigarettes .. .. .. 2-3 108 0-5 60 2-8 168 3 87 1 18 4 105 Rats chewing matches .. .. .. .. .. 0-7 12 0-7 182 1-4 194 .. Miscellaneous causes —smoking and matches .. .. 3-3 308 1-7 319 5-0 627 9 598 8 4,012 17 4,610 Sparks from fireplaces, furnaces, &c. .. .. .. 33• 8 3,350 11-7 1,103 . 45 ■ 5 4,453 54 4,630 23 1,159 77 5,789 Airing clothes before a fire .. .. .. .. 4-0 1,062 1-3 146 5-3 1,208 2 184 ■ 3 308 5 492 Ashes placed in wooden boxes, &c. .. .. .. 8-3 373 4-1 150 12-4 523 13 499 11 389 24 888 Heating tar, polishes, &c. .. .. .. .. 5-8 263 7-5 1,072 13-3 1,335 9 66 14 2,202 23 2,268 Spontaneous combustion .. .. .. .. 2-0 331 5-0 4,058 7'0 4,389 4 175 4 8,911 8 9,086 Allowing benzine, &c., near naked lights ... .. .. 7-2 382 4-8 513 12-0 895 7 265 10 834 17 1,099 Arson .. .. .. .. .. .. 4-3 462 1-8 747 6-1 1,209 3 171 .. .. 3 171 Suspicious origin .. .. .. .. .. 8-5 3,097 5-8 8,008 14-3 11,105 4 1,869 2 254 6 2,123 Overheating of and sparks from machinery .. .. .. .. 5-3 1,532 5-3 1,532 .. .. 4 283 4 283 Sparks from bush and gorse fires .'. .. .. 3-7 146 1-2 38 4-9 184 1 1 11 Sparks from rubbish fires .. .. .. .. 6-3 178 3-2 167 9-5 345 5 78 10 864 15 942 Sparks from chimneys, locomotives, &c. .. .. .. 8-5 185 9-3 1,052 17-8 1,237 6 57 5 173 11 230 Blow-lamps used for burning ofi paint .. .. .. 15-5 597 1-7 29 17-2 626 26 1,406 4 69 30 1,475 Fires spread from other buildings .. .. .. 8-0 1,972 3-3 128 11-3 2,100 11 438 3 88 14 526 Miscellaneous known causes .. .. .. .. 12-0 595 19-2 1,950 31-2 2,545 25 1,218 33 8,103 58 9,321 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. .. 75*0 25,511 54*7 67,586 129*7 93,097 110 23,942 109 107,018 219 130,960 Total .. .. .. .. .. 335-0 51,134 211-0 102,008 546-0 153,142 473 49,612 351 149,980 824 199,592 Loss per fire — Known causes .. .. .. .. .. .. 98-5 .. 220-2 .. 144-2 .. 70-7 .. 177-5 .. 113-4 Unknown causes .. .. .. .. .. .. 340-1 .. 1,235-6 .. 717-8 .. 217-7 .. 981-8 .. 598-0 All causes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 152-6 .. 483-5 .. 280-5 .. 104-9 .. 427-3 .. 242-2 Unoccupied dwellings . . .. .. .. .. 381 -1 .. .. .. ■. •. 186-4