ABSTRACT
Fires occur only rarely in a particular building. But in a population of buildings in a country fires occur frequently and cause destruction to life, property and economic welfare. Every year, a small number of large fires inflict considerable financial damage on building structures and their material contents. The occupants of buildings involved in some large fires sustain fatal and non-fatal injuries, resulting in financial loss and distress to the families of the victims. Large fires occurring particularly in industrial and commercial properties can cause indirect/consequential losses arising from loss of production, of profits, of employment and of exports and thus destroy a significant percentage of the economic wealth of a country.
