Let the Bums Burn : Australia's Deadliest Building Fire and the Salvation Army Tragedies

116 Pages·2014·0.772 MB·English

by  Geoff Plunkett

Geoff
Plunkett
Let
Th e
Bums

Burn
Let the Bums Burn
Australia’s deadliest building ire
and the Salvation Army tragedies
Other Books By Geof Plunkett
Chemical Warfare in Australia
Death by Mustard Gas
Let the Bums Burn
Geof Plunkett
Published by LEECH CUP BOOKS
Berowra Heights, Sydney, Australia
http://www.deadliestire.info
Printed by Lightning Source
Edited by Cathy Johnstone
Design and Typsetting by Geof Plunkett
Set in Minion Pro (text) & Adobe Garamond Pro (titles)
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Plunkett, Geof, author.
Title: Let the bums burn : australia’s deadliest building ire and the
salvation army tragedies / Geof Plunkett.
ISBN: 9780987427939 (paperback).
Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: 1. Salvation Army--Australia--History.
2. Disasters--Australia--History.
3. Accidents--Australia--History.
4. Public buildings--Fires and ire prevention--Australia.
5. Fires--Casualties--Australia--Statistics.
6. Fires--Australia--History.
7. Fires--Australia--Case studies.
8. Fires--Australia--Statistics.
9. Fires--Safety measures.
10. Fire investigation--Australia.
11. Fire prevention--Australia.
12. Fire sprinklers--Australia.
Dewey: 363.340994
Dedication
To All hose Involved
he William Booth Memorial Home After he Fire
Coroner’s Report
vi
he People’s Palace, Adelaide
Salvation Army
vii
Casualties in the Central Hallway of the William Booth Memorial
Home. Two Police ‘Roundsmen’, Reporters based in the Press-Room
next to the Russell Street Police Headquarters, are visible in the rear. Ken
Hickey (Glasses) and Noel Harley (Notepad).
Salvation Army
viii
Table of Contents
Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
Poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii
Roll Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Chapter 1 – he William Booth Memorial Home. . . . .1
Chapter 2 – he People’s Palace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Chapter 3 – he Case for Sprinklers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Appendix 1 – Australian Building Fires Since 1966. . 73
Appendix 2 – Deadliest US Fires By Decade . . . . . . . .74
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
List of Photographs and Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
ix