Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An analysis has been made of reports of fires in post-war non- traditional dwellings returned by Fire Brigades in Great Britain in 1954. Two hundred and fifty-six temporary dwellings were damaged by fire in 1954 (16.3 damaged dwellings per 10 000 at risk per year). About half of the total incidents were to causes associated with the use of electricity, half of the latter number being due to faults in the electrical installation of the house. Twenty non-fatal casualties and 2 fatal casualties occurred as a result of fires in temporary dwellings. The total rate of incidence of fire in temporary dwellings decreased in 1954 to about the same level as that of 1952. There were 296 permanent non-traditional dwellings damaged by fire in 1954, (8.8 damaged dwellings per 10 000 at risk per year). Eighty-six incidents (29 per cent of the total fires) were caused by domestic coal fires, and a further 26 by radiated heat and sparks from flues. Twenty-six serious fires occurred in permanent non-traditional dwellings, of which 7 involved B.I.S.F. and 5 Airey dwellings. Two were and 296 non-fatal casualties occurred in fires involving permanent non-traditional dwellings. The overall rate of incidence of fire in permanent non-traditional dwellings was slightly higher than the corresponding rate for 1953 (8.1 damaged dwellings per 10 000 at risk per year), but still lower than that for any other year since 1947.