A Doubly Interesting Fire

A Doubly Interesting Fire

On our Recent Fire page is described a fire which occurred in Los Angeles, Cal., in a paint and oil establishment where large quantities of inflammable materials were present in the building. The floors were, as is usually the case in such structures, oil soaked and there was every facility for the making of a hot and stubborn blaze. There were two features connected with this fire that are interesting from the viewpoint of fire prevention. The first illustrated forcibly how much the actual protection of premises from fire are dependent upon the human element. The head of this paint concern had taken every reasonable precaution against his establishment, with its inflammable contents, catching fire. He had provided a proper receptacle for the placing of oily waste and had given strict orders, according to his own testimony, that all such materials be placed therein. And yet the destruction of his factory was caused by spontaneous combustion among some of this very oily waste, which, in violation of his orders, had been left carelessly upon the floor by an employee. This human element in the fire prevention problem is the one uncertain part of what otherwise is often a perfect system. No matter how well thought out and planned the protection from fire of an establishment may be, it may all be nullified by the carelessness of one individual. It shows the necessity of careful education of employees in the principles of fire prevention and the provision of severe penalties for any violation of the rules set forth for the safety of a factory or manufacturing establishment.

The other point of interest in the Los Angeles fire lies in the fact that at the very hottest point of the fire there was a large amount of gasoline and benzine stored which remained uninjured in spite of the intense heat. These explosive and inflammable materials had been ordered placed underground by the fire prevention bureau of Los Angeles some weeks before, and the order had been promptly complied with, with the result that, though the pumps and vents above ground were badly bent and twisted by the fire, the tanks, with their contents, were found to be intact and uninjured, after the ruins were cooled sufficiently to investigate. The lessons to be derived from this incident are first that the only safe way to store inflammable liquids in buildings is in tanks sunk beneath the surface of the ground where the heat of a possible fire will not reach them, and, secondly, that it pays to follow the instructions of the fire chief and fire prevention experts of a city, even though it may involve some expense, as these instructions are given in the interest of the parties concerned, as well as for the safety of the public in general.