The enforced evacuation of Yangtszepoo and Hongkew District Stations, Wayside, Point and Woosung Road Sub-Stations and the Workshops added considerably to the difficulties of the situation, it being necessar; to commission Special Units at Central Station to cover the Eastern and Northern areas; these Units and Machines from Yangtszepoo and (Hongkew Stations (after they reopened on August 28, and November 24, respectively) attended 220 fires in the Hongkew, Wayside and Yangtszepoo districts during the local hostilities and the subsequent occupation of the areas by the Japan-osa Forces, Most of these fires had to be dealt with under conditions which were so exacting as to tax to the very limit the physical endurance and courage. of the Professional and Volunteer Staff, In nearly every case the fire was found to have made considerable headway, with large buildings or areas involved by the time the Brigade arrived, particularly in the case of aerial bombing where incen diary chemicals had been used. in fact, in many cases the area on fre was so great that the officer in charge had to decide upon the street at which the detachment would endeavour to check the outbreak, rather than upon the house or section of one particular building which, under normal conditions, would be the aim of any Fire officer. Yet only a single pump and crew customarily responded, in view of the ever-present possibility of a number of other.outbreaks occurring concurrently through air-raids, shelling or other similar causes, and consequently fires which would normally be treated as District or Brigade calls had to be fought by a mere handful of men and a limited amount of equipment, Moverover, the staff often had to carry out the tremendous amount of work which this entailed under terrific strain, through bombing, antly aircraft gunnery, other aerial activity and shelling in the neighbourhood of, and often in close proximity to, the actual scene of the outbreaks, Working Under Difficult Conditions Other factors which added largely to the task of combatting these outbreaks and to the difficulties under which the personnel worked, were the absence of lights of any description and the lack of communication in the districts occupied by the military, the presence of broken electric cables and the danger from collapsing walls, floors, ete. in shelled, bombed or burnt-out areas, tion of these fires was responsible for an incalculable saving perty, since most of them wi established—some in valuable industrial premises and others in congested areas—and, had they been left to burn unchecked, the majority undoubtedly would have become huge conflagrations, destroying blocks of property, entire factories, mills, etc.
The percentage of loss for the year was 6.26 per cent, which was an increase of 5.08 per cent, on 1036, and the highest percentage recorded since 1921
It was impossible to make any estimate as to the value of property destroyed, other than at fires which the Brigade actually attended as the Brigade did not have the facilities or the staff for this work, The following summary shows the total fatalities and injuries among civilians and Brigade staff at calls which the Brigade attended during the year:—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.