Fire is perhaps the most destructive element in nature. Fires and earthquakes take turns for first place as the leading cause of heavy death tolls. Fires and explosions alone have wiped out entire communities.
Question : In what months did most major fires and explosions occur? On what days did most of them take place?
Answer : The month of December let the list, with the month of May coming is second. Running neck and neck for third place were the months of October and November. These four months alone accounted for nearly 50 percent or more of these occurrences. For instance, in December 1980, there was the Stouffer Inn fire in Upstate New York that killed the key executives of a computer company, which later folded as a result. Many of these major disasters took place on a Saturday, closely followed by Thursday, Wednesday, and Sunday.
Question : During which months and days did the least number of fires and explosions occur?
Answer : January, May, and March, in that order, headed the safer list, accounting for only seven major fires and explosions. As to safe days, while Monday came out on top, the days were spread pretty much evenly across the board.
Question : What numerical influence accounted for most fires and explosions?
Answer : Dates adding up to 1, 4, and 7 headed this tragic list. Focusing a little closer, we say that for dates under the 1 series, the 1st of the month accounted for 50 percent of such accidents, whereas the 19th of the month produced the least. In the 4 series, the 13th of the month (1+3 = 4) headed this list, although the 4th of the month ranked lowest. In the 7 series, the 7th of the month accounted for over 50 percent of all fires.
Question : Under which numerical influence did the least number of fires occur?
Answer : Dates in the 5 and 9 series produced the least amount of tragedies by fire and explosion. In both cases, they occurred under different dates.
Fire is certainly nothing to play with.
