DISASTROUS FIRE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 77, 1 June 1945, Page 5

DISASTROUS FIRE

LOAN AND MERCANTILE CO. SUFFERS HEAD OFFICES GUTTED SERIOUS OUTBREAK IN STRAND

The two-storied building next to the Regent Theatre in the housing the head offices for the Bay of Plenty of the Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., Inc. in England were almost completely gutted by fire on Wednesday night. Only the front portion of the lower storey escaped' the flames." It is imposas yet to estimate the total amount of damage or the loss involved, but it is known that it will be a considerable •one. The fire started in the lefthand corner of the ground floor, and although the brigade was on the spot and had the first lead run out within five minutes of "the sounding of the it was at least an #our before the flames were under control. The origin of the outbreak is unknown. The fire was apparently noticed simultaneously by several people. The alarm was rung from the Fire Brigade Station itself at approximately 9.30 p.m., by Mr W. J. Williamson, proprietor of the Central Grill Room, who; seeing tines flames shooting through the roof quickly made his way to the station .and directed the firemen. Mr Bruce Watts, who was ort duty the Theatre, had the engine out -and down to the scene in a matter -of minutes but it was found that due to there being no water available in Clifton Road, tile. building would have to be tackled from tlie front. The first lead was taken through the front door and up to the top floor. A second was carried up to the roof on the side of Mr A. J. ' I Canning's shop and played through "<the top, whilst a third was taken through the front to combat, the lire on the ground floor. The fire had already got a good .grip when the siren was sounded .and when the brigade arrived, had •broken through the ceiling and was .mushrooming out on the top lloor. The terrific heat lifted the iron on •the rear of the roof, and the draft •caused turned the whole area into a raging inferno. Difficulties Experienced The main difficulty in quelling it was experienced in the fact that iiremen were able to work only from the front. Several narrow escapes "were had by men who were working right in the midst of the blaze, -with burning beams and pieces of the roof falling through continually. One in particular was when the . girders upstairs collapsed, and the . automatic winch fell through narrowly missing two firemen who had . advanced almost to the rear wall of the building. Trouble was experienced. with a truck which was garag.ed in the back. The petrol tank, which fortunately had sufficient fuel In it to stop it from exploding caught JiTe altogether six times before it was finally extinguished. The necessity for continually re-directing the hose 'which was playing, from the ground floor up through the ceiling to put out the lire on the. true!; meant, that the llamas upstairs could not receive the benefit of the full force of the water.

Swept by Flames ' Despite the efforts of a team of * men who were upstairs amid flaming beams and thick smoke for some three-quarters of an hour, the lire swept the main office the large stock of stationery kept to supply ► the other branches of the firm in the Baj r and a store of grain behind the main ofl'icc. This latter was totally destroyed, and although the fitting;

. and furniture were not burnt* right . out they were blackened and charred. The stationery suffered partly from the lire, and. partly from water and there is very little if J •>» , any undamaged. It may be said that only the hardware and a few grocery lines escapand these received a thorough saturation. Fortunately the stock of tyres also escaped. * A Scene of Desolation The office this morning presented . a scene of desolation. . Downstairs

particularly at the rear, a twisted heap of girtlcrs blackened ocanis ) broken glass and a mass of charred and unrecognisable objects lay • in chaos-. The skylights had fallen in and only a skeleton of the frame-: work remained. Water was slowly seeping through the ceiling and dripping down to the lloor. Upstairs from the counter back as far as the lloor went, the scene was much the same. A carpet of sodden charred paper and plaster lay underfoot while the furniture, the walls and what was left of the ceiling bore the evidence of the terrific heat which had been generated. The stock is being taken to the Winter Show Buildings- which have been hired by the firm in order to be spread out and dried in an elYoi't to save some of it.

Theatre Evacuated In the Regent Theatre the -attention of the manager was drawn to the fire which was visible from the rear of the building. On inspection he found it to be the Loan and Mercantile Company offices, and immediately judged it would be the wisest thing to clear the Theatre. By this time some of the smoke had started to penetrate the Regent, and a dim haze could be seen near the screen. The picture, "Desperate Journey" was- stopped the lights switched on and an announcement made that as there was a lire.in the building next door, it was considered that it would be the wisest; thing for patrons to leave the the- j atre. The whole house made its exit in an orderly fashion and pass-outs were given in order that they could see the show again the next night. Townspeople of Whakatane turned out in full force to witness the blaze. The crowd, from the Theatre quickly swelled the ranks of those already in the street, while upwards of fifty younger folk who had been practising Indoor Basketball in the Winter Show Buildings were also there. Hillcrest was a popular grandstand, and the fence down the side of the hill was lined with people who from that position could see the flames burning inside the. building through places where the roof had fallen in. At the beginning a number of spectators also gathered immediately at the back of the offices in Clifton Road, but showers of water which constantly burst through the back windows and sprayed them liberally made them seek for drier vantage points.

An Excellent Saye In nn account of the fire we received from Mr J. Creeke, of W belli a lane who was lor *2(J years a member of the Sydney Brigade and who is an ex-Superintendent of theWellington Brigade, are included a few details concerning the building itself and the splendid work of the Brigade. The greatest drawback, he said, was the lack of water in (dilton Road. If it had been possible to connect the hoses and attack the building from the rear, the scat of the fire could have been got at immediately. Instead, leads had to be taken through the f,ront and the whole of the. work done from the other end. This meant that the lire couki not lie extinguished at its origin, but had to be first cheeked, fought back and then brought under control. During this operation, firemen were working amid dcn.sc smoke and Ilamcs. The construction of the building is apparently such that it lends itself to a as it is known in the language of the Fire Service. The huge lift and air well in the centre supplied an excellent medium for the Ilamcs to lick up to the top storey and once the glass in the skylights had been melted or broken away an excellent draft which went

straight through the building wasj caused. The walls of the building, which were oi' concrete prevented, the lire spreading, although the blaze assumed very serious proportions. Considering the handicaps' they had to work under said Mr Creeke, J the -Brigade, which it must be re* membered is a volunteer one, put up a line* effort. They not only turned out in full force in record time but went ahead and did their job with a thoroughness and efficiency which can merit nothing but the highest praise.