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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1965-05-01
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Life Loss in Fires Due to Faulty Chimneys
Williams-Leir, G.
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DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA
437
No.
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-'PREPARED BY G. Williams -Leir CHECKED BY GWS APPROVED By RFL
May 1965
PREPARED FOR Inquiry Reply
SUBJECT LIFE LOSS IN FIRES DUE TO FAULTY CHIMNEYS
A recent inquiry relating to life loss in fires attributed to faults in chimneys and stovepipes has been answered from the DBR Fire Section's records of fatal fires in the Province of Ontario. As the subject may be of more general interest, this note was
prepared. Table I lists all the cases on record for the years 1956-63, inclusive. It will be noticed that some cases are included where, on the strict interpretation of the report made, the fire was
attributable to faults in fireplaces or clean-out chutes.
The Fire Section's survey was concerned only with fatal fires. In order to put these results in perspective, information was extracted from the Annual Reports of the Ontario Fire Marsllal, and is presented in Table II. For this purpose, the O. F. M. 's categories 51: "Chirnneys, flues, cupolas and stackslt and 52E: "Smokepipes,
steampipes and hot air ducts" were added together, thus inevitably including some inappropriate case s.
It appears that 2.9 per cent of fires in the province and 2.3 per cent of the monetary fire loss are attributable to chimneys and stovepipes. Only 0.7 per cent of the life loss, however, is so attributable. Comparison of the se figure s sugge sts that this type of fire will more probably give warning before a situation develops that will prevent the escape of occupants of the building.
•
TABLE IFATAL FIRES ATTRIBUTED TO CHIMNEYS OR SMOKEPIPES ONTARIO, 1956-1963, INCL.
*
Date 3 Feb. 1957 18 Oct. 1957 16 Dec. 1957 4 Jan. 1960 2Feb.
1961 29 Apr. 1961 10 June 1961 16 May 1962 1 July 1962 27 Dec. 1962 Deaths 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 CauseFire supposedly started in overheated brick chimney.
Believe chimney pipes overheated. Supposedly overheated stovepipes. Fault in back of wood fireplace in 1st-storey kitchen.
Hot embers in fireplace fell down clean-out chute. Chute door had been removed.
Overheated stovepipe ignited joists. Faulty chimney ignited adjacent wall. Crack in chimney allowed sparks to fall into box of trash.
Faulty bracket chimney.
Baby carriage rolled across sloping floor and stopped against hot stovepipe.
•
•
TABLE II
COMPARISON WITH NON-FATAL FIRES
Fires attributed to chimneys, All fires in Ontario. stovepipes, etc.
Number Loss Lives Number Loss Lives
x $1,000 x $1,000,000 1958 892 1,061