Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The number of fires in buildings attended by fire brigades in the United Kingdom has increased from 50 492 in 1955 to 88 162 in 1966. An attempt has been made to forecast the fire frequencies in buildings up to 1975 based on expected fuel usage. Electrical appliances are likely to account for an increasing proportion of fires, whereas fires in oil and gas appliances are likely to account for smaller proportions, although the expected sales of gas and oil are likely to continue to increase. The use of solid fuel will probably continue to decrease. Assuming that the current trends do not change, the annual incidence of fires in buildings can be expected to rise to about 143 000 by 1975.