DISASTROUS FIRE

Chronicle (Levin), 13 September 1948, Page 5

DISASTROUS FIRE

Valuable Farm Produce Destroyed Reeeived Sunday, 7 p.m. AMSTERDAM, Sept. 11. Oue of the biggest fires in Amsterdam's history broke out j early today in cold storage buildings on the eity's eastern trade quay, destroying millions of . .pouncls worth of farm produce, j Several ships in the vicinity of the store were removed to sai'er nioor- ] ings. 1 The food losses are so great it : is feared Amsterdam's rationing system will be endangered and the people run short of nieat, fat, butter and eggs. The fire destroyed 3,570,000 lbs. , of butter, 175 cubic tons of frozen fruit and 1000 bottles of dried niaternal milk. A11 entire ship- ; load of Argentine meat placed in the storehouse yesterday, was eompletely destroyed. Personnel of the bloocl transfusion service risked their lives to rescue 8000 bottles of blood plasma, but it is feared the great heat made the plasma worthless. ( The authorities have already launched an emergency appeal for l'resh supplics. Firemen fighting the blaze pumped water 011 the fire at the rate oi! 10,000 gallons a minute but the lieat was so intense that the water boiled before it reaehed tlie fhimes and turned into hissing clouds oi' steam. Five firemen were overcome by smoke and had to be revived with oxvgen. The building is the largest cold store in Furope.