TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1974
NEW POSTER FOR FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
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A NEW POSTER, DESIGNED TO PUBLICISE THE CURRENT FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN, IS NOW ON DISPLAY IN VARIOUS PARTS OF HONG KONG.
IT SHOWS THE AFTERMATH OF A DISASTROUS FIRE, WITH THE WORDS: +THIS IS THE ASH FROM ONE CIGARETTE+.
A FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE OBJECT OF THE POSTER WAS TO CALL PEOPLE'S ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT TWO IN EVERY FIVE FIRES IN HONG KONG WERE CAUSED BY THE CARELESS HANDLING OF LIGHTED CIGARETTE ENDS.
+DURING THE TWO FISCAL YEARS 1972/74,+ HE STATED, +MORE THAN 4,700 FIRES WERE BLAMED ON PEOPLE DISPOSING OF CIGARETTE ENDS WITHOUT FIRST MAKING SURE THEY WERE PROPERLY OUT. AS A RESULT, A TOTAL OF 84 PEOPLE WERE INJURED.+
HE SAID IT WAS BY FAR THE MOST PREVALENT CAUSE OF FIRE, NOT ONLY IN HONG KONG BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN UNITED STATES, FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1973, THERE WERE MORE THAN 100,000 CIGARETTE-END FIRES WHICH HAD CAUSED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIRES IN HONG KONG ATTRIBUTED TO A CIGARETTE END BROKE OUT AT A WAN CHAI HOTEL IN DECEMBER, 1972, WHICH CLAIMED EIGHT LIVES AND INJURED 21 PEOPLE.
A LARGE NUMBER OF HILL AND FOREST FIRES WHICH OCCUR DURING THE DRY MONTHS IS ALSO CAUSED BY PEOPLE CARELESSLY THROWING AWAY LIGHTED CIGARETTE ENDS AND MATCHES.
THE SPOKESMAN URGED SMOKERS TO USE ASH TRAYS IN THEIR HOMES WHEN DISPOSING OF CIGARETTE ENDS AND NOT TO THROW THEM OUT OF WINDOWS OR BALCONIES.
IN THE STREET, THE SPECIAL RECEPTACLES ATTACHED TO LITTER BINS SHOULD BE USED AND, WHEN IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, CIGARETTE ENDS SHOULD BE GROUND UNDERFOOT AND NOT LEFT TO SMOULDER.
+WE APPEAL TO SMOKERS TO BE CAREFUL AT ALL TIMES, BUT ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN THE HUMIDITY IS MUCH LOWER AND FIRES OCCUR MORE EASILY,+ HE SAID.
THE FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN TIMED FOR THIS MONTH WHEN THE NUMBER OF FIRES CAN BE FROM TWO TO FIVE TIMES AS GREAT AS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.