Fire Losses of October

Fire Losses of October

There was a substantial dropping off in the fire losses of October, 1921, over those of September, the figures being for the former $25,505,800 as against in the latter $31,176,100, or a difference in favor of last month of $5,070,300. Whether this improvement is really a permanent one or it only a temporary recession of the wave of enormous losses which has engulfed the country in the past two years remains to be seen. It is to be hoped that it is an indication that the strenuous preaching of Fire Prevention Day and Week may have bad some permanent results. The losses even run a little short of October. 1920, which were $27,135,400 loss, but exceeded that of the same month in 1^19, which was the lowest loss of that year, namely, $13,358,400.

A peculiarity of last month’s fire record is that, while the losses fell below those of the previous month byover five and a half million dollars, the number of fires ran ahead of September by -ix. the figures being October. 376 fires. September, 370, and August, 339. This seems to be due to an increase, as noted in last month’s review, in the excess of the number of small-value fires. The fires of October are to be divided as follows: $200,000 and over. 20: $100,000 to $200,000. 37; $75,000 to $100,000, 18; $50,000 to $75,000. 24; $40,000 to $50.000. 27; $30,000 to $40,000. 20: $20,000 to $30,000, 69. and $10,000 to $20,000, 161.