Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Since almost one half the number of casualties due to fire in Great Britain occur in dwellings, the opportunity was taken to study this question from a special survey of fires in dwellings during 1956, so as to examine possible means of reducing the toll. More deaths due to burning are recorded by the Registrar-General than by the Fire Brigades as there are burning accidents (such as clothing catching fire) to which the Fire Brigade is not always called. The note emphasises the dangers of clothing becoming ignited, as over half the fatalities resulted from this situation, and the importance of providing guards where flames are exposed. Over 90 per cent of the casualty incidents had two or less casualties, and 97 per cent of the fatal incidents had only one victim, so multiple casualty fires in dwellings are few. The fires involving casualties are usually small almost 90 per cent of them were confined to the room of origin. There was·a significant difference between the types of dwellings in which casualties occurred as detached houses had a lower rate than houses converted into flats.