EMERGENCY FIRE ENGINE DITCHED ANSWERING CALL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 28, 3 December 1948, Page 5

EMERGENCY FIRE ENGINE DITCHED ANSWERING CALL

It was almost 15 minutes after the alarm first sounded, before the Whakatane fire engine finally got away, in response to a call from 50 Salonika Street, Whakatane, on Tuesday. Fortunately the fire was not serious and no damage was caused. The outbreak was caused by a fused electric stove, which was dismantled by the brigade and taken outside before any damage was done. The alarm sounded at about 3.5 p.m. on Tuesday, and members of the brigade were soon at the station. Unfortunately, it was/ found that the fire engine was in a garage being repaired. The auxiliary tender, a former heavy army truck, parked by the station building and kept in case of such emergencies, was brought into action. But it did not go far. The right front wheel had only gone a few inches before it almost completely disappeared, down an old disused well or' drain. It is probable that a crane will have to be employed to haul it out. Members of the brigade then managed to get the engine from the garage. Fortunately, it was in running order and they were on the. road and away by 3.20 p.m. Before this, another brigade member raced to Salonika Street in a car and rang back the extent of the outbreak.