£70,000 Fire In Grain Store

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 14

£70,000 Fire In Grain Store

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, June 6. Fire damaged grain and manure worth between £70,000 and £BO,OOO in the Southland Farmers Co-operative Association’s seed store in Gore tonight.

The Gore Volunteer Fire Brigade was called at 9.7 p.m. The flames were under control within an hour.

Apparently the poilite roof of the store in the front portion of the store exploded. An eye-witness said flames “leapt a good 50 to 100 feet into the air.” Pieces of poilite were scattered over a wide area. Mr A. R. Marshall, manager of the firm’s grain and produce department, said seed and manure worth between £70,000 and £BO,OOO could be damaged, depending on how far back the fire went. Most of the grain was dressed.

The fire is believed to have started in an office in the damaged portion of the 16-year-old building. An employee of the firm, Mr C. Fergusson, was in the

building this morning to feed the cats and everything appeared all right then. Mr A. Chandler, an insurance assessor, said fire had damaged about half of the 168 ft by 75ft building. He said the fire had gone deep into the seed. It was not known how the fire started.