Fire_Services_1961-1962 — Page 12

audience remained unaware of the drama outside as the store's entrance gates were forced to allow firemen in breathing apparatus to flood the area and extinguish the fire. This was achieved in only twelve minutes. The prompt action taken reflected well on one of the department's most experienced local officers.

32. Although safety measures inside cinemas and theatres are generally good, this incident emphasized the need to keep their exits clear. Improvements have been made in adjusting the sites of pedestrian barriers, erected outside cinemas to prevent traffic congestion, but the best solution would probably be in enforcing a 30-minute period be- tween performances.

Lockhart Road, Hong Kong

33. Thirty minutes after midnight on 15th January, 1962, the Service was called to Lockhart Road where thirty people had been trapped by fire in a four-storey tenement building. Exceptionally fast rescues were made in this instance but the fire provided a reminder of the need for rescue appliances to be made available within two or three minutes of a fire breaking out in a built-up area. As Lockhart Road is close to the Eastern Fire Station, rescue teams arrived at the scene of the fire within three minutes but any longer delay might have had tragic consequences. First Street, Western District, Hong Kong

34. An interesting feature of a fire which occurred on 20th January, 1962, in First Street, Hong Kong, was that it originated in a modern five-storey building, used for the manufacture of cloth, and spread by radiation from this 'fire resisting structure' to an old-style tenement block nearby. Some $40,000 damage was caused and sixty people were left homeless.

Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon

35. On the morning of 27th January, 1962, 35 rooftop squatter huts in Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, caught fire. Driven by a strong breeze, the fire spread quickly, but was kept to the original building. The body of a child was discovered and the frightening aspect of the incident was that it was all over in less than twenty minutes.

Jordan Road, Resettlement Estate

36. An investigation following an explosion in Jordan Road, which seriously injured a man, showed the cause to have been hydrogen gas issuing from an old fire extinguisher. Excessive pressure had resulted from aluminium alloy reacting with caustic soda.

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