Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

A survey has been made of the 123 reports of fires in Hospitals and Homes received from Fire Brigades in the United Kingdom which were included in a one-in-four random sample of all reports received for 1956. The causes of most of the fires were not peculiar to hospitals, but were similar to those of fires in dwellings. Most of the fires did not cause serious damage and about 40 per cent of them were extinguished by hospital staff without fire brigade assistance. Two fatal and 1 non-fatal casualties occurred and no rescues or escapes from fire were necessary. An appendix describing some fires of interest in Hospitals and Homes has been added.