PAHIATUA'S FIRE LOSS

Chronicle (Levin), 30 October 1947, Page 5

PAHIATUA'S FIRE LOSS

The most disastrous fire in the history of Pahiatua completely destroyed the Trocadero hoarding-house, four shop premises and half another business house in the main street of Pahiatua in the qarly hours of Wednesday morning. Damage estimated at many thousands of pounds was caused by the fire. Sixteen people who were occupants of a block of flats situated over the shop premises, narrowly escaped heing burnt to death. Only a timely warning from one of the occupants, Mr. G. Barker, who awoke to find the building in flames, saved their lives. They escaped in their night attire. Every possession they had perished in the flames. Tlie seat of the fire was the rear of the Trocadero building. The fire was first noticed by the nightwatchman, Mr. H. E. Lowe. Once notified, the local Fire Brigade were immediately on the scene and leuds of hose were quiokly (lireeted on to the flames. Ilowever, because of heavy generation of smoke through the shops adjacent the Trocadero building, it was impossible for the brigade to get inside to direct the hoses to best advantage, so that the seat of the blaze escaped. Flames quickly epveloped the building and fanned by a high wind, sprang 100 feet in the air. Heavy sparlcs were thrown across the neighbouring roofs and started two incipient fires in thc Goinmercial Hotel premises. Hoon it could be seen that Messrs. Gambitsis' fish-shop, M. J. Begley's eloctrician's premises, J. Murdoch's men's outfltters, and Mrs. K. Howard 's outlitters were a total loss, despite the fact that the brigade was flghting the flames from both front and rear of the burning buildings. Yesterday morning the scene of the flre was a mass of broken vvrecltage and twisted corrugated iron. The damage is estimated at several ■ thousands of pounds, although no details of amounts of insurances were available.