£100,000 DAMAGE TO CONFECTIONERY WORKS

Chronicle (Levin), 16 March 1948, Page 7

£100,000 DAMAGE TO CONFECTIONERY WORKS

£100,000 worth of damage wa§ done by a fire which swept swiftly through the coiifectionery factory oi Heaf'ds, Ltd., Parnell lioad, Parnell, early this evening. The flames destroyed about one-third of the factory ahd mueh stock and valuable maehinery, but in a reinarkable save the fire' brigades that resi;>onded to the.district call kept. the fire o.ut of the rest of the threatened building and also away from at lea'st six old honses that were directly in its path.

The factory is L-shaped and the fire began ou the ground fioor near the ■junction'of the two wings, one of which is of four storeys and the other of two. Ct appeared trifling at first, ■ but gained a great hold within a few minutes, 'jaught the inflammable contents and vvooden floors and was soon raging '.hrough the roof. Within half an hour of the alarm being' given at 5.31 p.ni. the thousands who had assembled saw that the flames had spread from the bottom to the roof at the back of the bigger. building, had.eaten their way halfway along the two-storeyed portion which had an entrance in Windsor Street, and were shooting through broken windows and lighting the evening sky. Two brigadesmen, both belonging tjJ the Oentral Fire Station, were taken to the Auckland liospital for treatment. They were George Dickson, age'd 34, who had his left wrist severely cut, and Louis McNamara, aged 24, whose back was cut by glass. Both were disCharged later. Severp.1 other brigadesmen suffered from minor cuts, burns and effects of smoke, but none was seriously hurt and a number of civilians cut by fl.ving glass went home after being treated by St. John Ambulance ofiicers on duty at the lire. The management late tonight gave the estiniate of the damage at about £100,000. : A dense cloud of smoke brougkt hundreds of motorists to the fire within a few minutes. . In the early stages it appeared to be a small outbreak ceiitred at the junction of the two factory buildings, but even before the las't of the fire truc.ks had arrived the bla/.e had spread with aniazing speed. Smoke spiralled up in great billows and the crowd drew back as the flames appeared. They swept through the windows while glass i'ell in tinkliug showers, 'raeed along the wooden floors and burst out through the roof at the back of the four-storeyed part of the building. All but ohe of Ihe 200 . employees' had' left the building wlien the firebegan. It was diSc'ovcred at 5.30 by an cngineer on duty who ealfed the brigadie and other calls caine in from neighbours. '• The serious naturc of tlie outbreak was immediately renlised and following a district crill e'ight fire1 engines as well as an 87ft nlobile extension ladde.^'and salvage vans manned bv 45 brigad'esuien converged on the factory fr'oili the ,eity and suburban stations. ' The brigadesmen flfst attackcd the fire tliat was spreading fast through llie two-storeyed building and toward the houses hard by. Sheets of flre swept up the concrete' walls and' within 20 minutes they were " through' tli^ mai n factory roof roaring and crpyki lihg as they fed on the. iiiflaminkfiU contents. v .. 1 )

They caught the' wooden floors and spread" to the packing, and as they reached upward" fllled the air with a sickly smell of burning sugar, riuts cocQ.nut. and other .ingredients of -confectionery. They sJiQt out of the windows carrying metal frames wi'tli them. and up through' the gaping roof in long tongues 50ft above the heads of the people who watched tensely. Soon the wliole four storeys" at the back were ablaze. Courageous Firemen. Tlie extension-ladder was driven intc Ruskin Street and as soon' as it had been extended until its top was leveJ with the burning roof three brigadesmen mountdd it. Between them they turned jets of water into the heart of the flames through third-floor windows while their eolleagues who had entered from the f ront and side of the building had other leads operating in support. "The task of the brigades seemed hopeless to the onlookers. So rapidli •had the fire spread and so fiercely was it burning that it appeard useless to light it with any ' hope of success. Metal window-frames were bucklingunder the -heat, what glass had not broken was melting, and -the heat- was unbearable within yards of the building. Burning partieles of packing were sweep'ing in showers from the factory and through gaps where -windows had been. The spread of the fire on the lower floors could be cleariy seen from outBide. The wooden floors in the back .part of the four-sforeyed sectiou of tlie building were fresh fuel for the flairies, but the brigad'esmen gave liltle .ground. They concentrated on trying to keep the flre in this section a,nd in preventing its working its way for-' ward toward the Parnell Iload front age- , On the concrete floors mches deep ni water the meu fought sleadily for over two hours until it became . clear that the ii^e ,altliough senious would, aot claiiiijtTie who(e building. , . 1 Wfid- Scrgmbje );o Save Nearby JHpuses. ^earbyit'residents in- Ruskin Btreetand. Wimlspr Street had los't no.time iii pafcgparjiiiig their ' beiongings, the ,flre swelliug rapj.dly .in its earlier stages ahd - with their lionies threatened they .began ruahing. tjicir lurniture and clothing into -the' styeet.. ,, ' v ^ • .The daiige.r, w-as gr.eatest in Ruslair, Street. -A lodgingHgu^A' npxt door.to, tlie .factory with it^h^areafe wall char% ring was emptied at' record apacd> The managoress, Mrs. May.Clarke, is out oi Auckland., apd some of tb,e other tenaii.ts. were not' at home, but the resjtiassisted., by neighljours and strangers,- from .the crowd quickly carried out most of the dontents. . . ...

Ari eveii • mpfe," tdriipletej "^cleafahce was. made in 'fiCd .^e'igHbkiiiiirig honsfts oecijjp.ied. by 'Mr, . aiid MrsV X' Jenkinh aiud' family and Mf. and Mrs; A. . floliarid and their live children.- Wrthiii . minutes tlie street rurining with watef was covered with furniture," bedding, radio sets, cots, carpets, vases, food, fruit, clothing loose and in suitcases, and even a piano. ■ From the boot factory of 4V. Monks next to Mr. Ilolland 's home people car ried ofiice machines and armfuls of docunients, and even half a bottle of milk was stood carefully in the gutter. Some helpers, with the fear of the flre spurring them on, threw drawers of clothes and belongings froni upstairs windows, and others assisting on I the ground floor fouud tliemsclves sijiothered in the personal belQngings of strangers. Windows . were broken to allow the furniture to be extraeted and slippers rested on the wet j)avenient beside electric toasters and heaps of magazines. The lire was under control before 8 o 'cloclc, but the wreckage smouldered all niglit and the brigadesmen were kept on duty continuously.