New Zealand tragedies : fires & firefighting.

corrected paperback ISBN number

Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-209) and index

Port. on inside back cover

Spine title: Fires

Of all the deaths imaginable, that by fire is perhaps the most feared. In New Zealand, fatal blazes such as the Ballantyne's fire of 1947 or the 1942 fire at Seacliff haunt our collective memory. The Maori had used fire to clear the land of forest, a practice that was continued by European settlers. But it was in the mainly wooden towns of colonial times that the story of fires and firefighting in New Zealand really began. Well-known historian Gavin McLean traces the history of firefighting through the last century and up to the present day, and tells of the fires that have destroyed lives (mercifully few compared with deaths by drowning and on the roads) and property. Thoroughly researched and written in a lively, approachable style, this copiously illustrated book also includes brief histories of all New Zealand's current fire brigades (together with a selection of former brigades, industrial brigades and fire parties). Anyone with a special interest in the noble art of firefighting, and anyone fascinated by New Zealand social history, will find Fires and Firefighters an indispensable addition to their library