Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The numbers of fires in laundry occupancies rose from 484 in 1967 to 714 in 1968. These include fires in laundries, launderettes and laundries within other occupancies. Most of this rise occurred in launderettes - fires in the shop sections of launderettes rose from 212 in 1967 to 394 in 1969. It is probable that this rise is linked to an increase in the numbers of launderettes at risk. During the three year period the most important source of ignition was smoking materials, but over 20 per cent of the fires were of unknown cause. In launderettes (shop sections), over two-thirds of the fires were attributed to drying apparatus or washing machines. The number of fires attributed to drying apparatus rose from 73 in 1967 to 152 in 1969 - for washing machines the rise was from 86 in 1967 to 116 in 1969. In ancillary sections to launderettes boilers and water heating apparatus were the most common causes. In laundries attached to other occupancies 20 per cent of the fires were attributed to drying apparatus. In 1969 there were six non-fatal and one fatal casualties in a 1-in-2 sample of fires in laundry occupancies.