Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An analysis has been made of reports of fires in dwellings which were attended by the N.F.S. and Fire Brigades during 1948 and in which flammable liquids were ignited. There were 452 such fires during the year. Almost two-thirds of these fires involved either petrol or paraffin, which are also responsible for most of the fires which had casualties. There were 16 fatal casualties, two of which were suicides; all but two of the remaining ones were woman. Of injuries sustained, one-third were burns on the hands, while a further third were general severe burns. The analysis shows that many householders do not fully appreciate the dangers of misusing flammable liquids. Examples of misuse given in the reports include: using paraffin or petrol to assist open coal fires to burn, leaving volatile liquids exposed near naked flames, and negligence in servicing oil burning appliances.