1785 Morning Post 17 Dec. Tea Urns, jointed Wire Fire Guards, Cutlery and Hardware.

1804 Morning Chron. 4 Dec. 1/1 (advt.) A large assortment of their much approved brass and green wire fire guards and fenders that keep no heat from the room, at the same time a perfect safeguard against fire.

1835 Morning Post 18 Apr. The Coroner suggested..the prudence of having a fireguard, which at a very trifling expense might often prevent serious accidents.

1906 Middlesex Gaz. 10 Feb. 6/5 As far as possible persuade people to avoid the use of flannelette and encourage the use of fireguards.

1983 Brit. Med. Jrnl. (Clinical Res. ed.) 24 Dec. 1982/2 ‘What a nice fire,’ said Vera to my wife. ‘Yes, but where is your fireguard?’ snapped Coli.

2009 J. Struthers Red Sky at Night 160 Never leave an open fire burning in an empty room unless it's protected with a fire guard.

1790 Public Advertiser 12 Nov. The London Brigade might be rendered of great importance to the City, and their expence would be cheerfully borne, were a detachment of them nightly appointed as a Fire Guard, and placed in some central situation, from whence they might march upon the first alarm of a fire within the City, and by surrounding it, prevent all plunder.

1833 Niles' Reg. 44 259/2 There were twenty-three engine and hose companies,..and four divisions of fire guards.

1851 C. Cist Sketches & Statistics Cincinnati 168 There are besides, two hook and ladder companies, and one company of fire guards.

1909 Ann. Rep. Amer. Hist. Assoc. 1908 263 The officials at the capitol pin their faith to the attendants who maintain a fire guard day and night.

1944 Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) 26 Mar. 4/2 A system by which roof-spotters, or to give them their latest name, ‘fireguards’, were trained especially in the art of extinguishing incendiaries.

2010 Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader (Austral.) (Nexis) 20 Dec. 7 I would encourage everyone in a bushfire area to start a fireguard.

1874 J. G. McCoy Hist. Sketches Cattle Trade xi. 217 An impassable barrier would be created between the unburned grass within the encircled tract, and that upon the outside of the ‘fire-guard’.

1926 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 15 July 7/1 It was stated that the fire on the southwest side of the river was practically under control, while a fire guard had been placed between the fire zone and the city watershed.

1963 R. D. Symons Many Trails 40 The smoky air..choked us as we feverishly plowed fire-guards.

2013 K. Mather Frontier Cowboys & Great Divide vi. 150 Charlie Brown told him to hurry to the Lower Camp and burn fire guards around the buildings.

1874 J. G. McCoy Hist. Sketches Cattle Trade di. 217 A large adjacent tract of land..will be ‘fire-guarded’, in order to secure a winter range from the ravages of prairie fires.

1895 W. Elkington Five Years in Canada viii. 69 I fireguarded my place all round.

1944 Boys' Life Feb. 20/4 They groped their way eagerly to one after another of the stacks. Each was safe. ‘But who fireguarded them?’ demanded Nelson.

2012 Leader-Post (Regina, Sask.) (Nexis) 29 Sept. aa3 They are completely fireguarded with additional soundproofing.