Maple Terrace
Church Path

Synthetic Resin

Source:
Borough of Mitcham List of Factories,
Town Clerk’s Department,
July 1963.
Available at Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.
Reference L2 (670) MIT

From the Streatham News 21st June 1963

Men’s clothes on fire after explosion.

A BRIXTON HILL man was one of two employees seriously burned in a factory explosion at Mitcham on Tuesday. He is Mr. Frederick Smith (aged 34), who is married and lives in Josephine Avenue. He and Dutch-born Mr. Bolçshaw Sirko, Longley Road, Tooting, were working in the varnish plant when there was a flashback, followed by an explosion. The men ran down a flight of stairs into a yard, their clothes burning. They were taken to Wilson Hospital, Mitcham. and transferred to Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, for specialist treatment. The factory, owned by W. A. Mitchell and Smith Ltd., is in Church Path. A large part of a two-storey building was severely damaged.

Mr Sirko died 4 days later and an inquest was held Tuesday 6th August 1963 returned a verdict of accidental death.

From the Mitcham Advertiser, 9th August 1963:

Here is the text extracted from the newspaper article:

MITCHAM FACTORY TRAGEDY

Longley Road Process Worker In A Sheet Of Flame

Accidental Death Verdict At Inquest

A Battersea inquest jury on Tuesday returned a verdict of Accidental Death on Baleslaw Sirko, 54 year-old process worker, of Longley Road, Tooting, who died four days after burns received when petroleum vapour became ignited as petroleum was being added to a mixture at Mitchell and Smith’s factory at Church Park, Mitcham.

Mr. Sirko and a fellow worker, Mr. Henry Smith, were adding petroleum to a mixture of wax, resin, petroleum jelly and other substances which had been mixed up in a pot about 6ft. deep and made of steel.

A fire prevention officer said that the only possible explanation was that the petroleum vapour, which is heavier than air, had flowed down the sides of the pot. He felt that if the gas burners, which had burned all night, had been turned off for a comparatively short time—say seven or eight minutes—it was quite possible for the vapour to catch fire.

Mr. Harold Edsor, works manager of Mitcham Park, said Mr. Sirko had no relatives and originally came from East Poland.

Mr. Harry Cook, pothouse foreman, said the business of the firm was to provide resin and similar mixtures mainly for painters. The pots were heated by gas apparatus and the mixture in the pot on which Mr. Sirko and Mr. Smith were working had been heating all night, so it was thoroughly liquified. The petroleum was added to the pot from a platform.

Mr. Cook said he was on the platform of another pot at 9 a.m. on June 18th when he heard an explosion and then felt a blast of hot air behind him. When he turned round he saw a sheet of flame. He could see the two men alight on their platform, Mr. Smith was nearest the stairway and he managed to stumble down, leaving Mr. Sirko.

“I made towards them,” added Mr. Cook, “but the flames seemed to spread towards me again and I had to turn back. I sounded the fire alarm and when I got back Mr. Sirko was still on the platform.”

Mr. Smith said the gas was turned off at the bottom of the pot and the manhole at the top was opened. A large 40-gallon drum was manhandled into position, tilted on its side and they started to pour the petroleum into the pot.

“When about half of it had been poured,” Mr. Smith turned his back and “it just roared behind me.” That was all he remembered until he was in hospital.

Note that Church Park should be Church Path.

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From the Mitcham News & Mercury, March 27th 1936:

Fire at Messrs Mitchell & Smith, resin manufacturers at the ‘Ravenspring Works’, Western Road.