Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The numbers of fire incidents involving explosions, estimated from 1 in 2 samples of all reports, were 426 in 1961 and 498 in 1962. Of those, the numbers in which water or space heating equipment was the heat source were 14 in 1961 and 192 in 1962. A more detailed analysis was undertaken of the 249 incidents which occurred in the sample for 1962. Space and water heating equipment were revealed as the main sources of danger. The principal causes of explosions in 1962 were gas (town) leaks (40 incidents), domestic back boilers (18 incidents) and foreign matter on coal fires (17 incidents). About one-third (78) of the incidents involved casualties.