Fire Deaths in the Glasgow Area: I General Considerations and Pathology

Abstract

A study of fire deaths, in operation in the Glasgow area since 1976, has been aimed at elucidating the role of smoke and toxic gases in fire fatalities, especially where these occurred in buildings. During the first 3 years of the project, 199 cases were examined of which 182 were eligible for inclusion in the study. This paper reports the major pathological features of these cases and gives details of the epidemiological and demographic statistics. Most of the fatalities (79 per cent) occurred in dwellings. While the old and young members of the community were shown to be particularly vulnerable, male and female casualties were approximately equal in number. The peak periods for fire deaths were at weekends and in the winter months. Burn injuries were present in 83 per cent of cases included in the study, and in 66 per cent these would have been sufficient to cause death, although it was difficult to distinguish between premortem and postmortem burns. Fatal levels of carbon monoxide were present in 52 per cent of the fatalities, and in these cases death was attributed to the inhalation of fire gases. Soot deposition in the respiratory tract as a result of smoke inhalation was observed in 91 per cent of the cases and further injury to the respiratory tract was present in 84 per cent of the cases. Evidence of significant haemolysis was present in 48 per cent of the fatalities. Chronic disease processes were also observed in many fatalities, including lung disease (16 per cent), cardiovascular disease (29 per cent) and liver disease (32 per cent). These rates reflect the high levels of incidence of these diseases in the Glasgow area.