Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

A preliminary survey shows that 120 persons died in fires attended by fire brigades in the fourth quarter of 1970. Of these 95 were in England and Wales, 23 in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland. Revised estimates for the first three quarters of the year are 302, 180 and 126 respectively, giving an estimate of 728 for the year. These figures cannot be regarded as comparable as industrial disputes in both the post office and the fire brigade have resulted in some dislocation of the reporting procedures. The worst fire in the quarter involved a collision between two tankers in territorial waters, resulting in 14 deaths.