SPECTACULAR FIRE

Chronicle (Levin), 1 November 1948, Page 4

SPECTACULAR FIRE

Press Associatloh)

Big Wellington Wool Store Almost Destroyed

(Per

WELLINGTON, Oct. 31. In Wellington's most speCtacillar fire since that at the Rongotai exhibition buildings about two years ago, Levin ahd Company.'s three-storey wOol Store f-ronting the Hutt Road at Kaiwafra, was almost totally destroyed, late Saturday night ahd. early this morning. The managing-diKectoo- -of the company, Mr. John D. G. Duncan, said today tllei'e Wete aboilt 2500 bales of wool in the store Wllich Would be covered by iiistil'aneeS to a total of about '£100,000. The buildihg, he added, was iiisured for between £50.000 and £60,000.

Occurring just as ctowds were leaving the theatres in the city and the speedway in the Hutt Valley, the spectacle cattsed the greatest traffic jam ih the city's history and the roads north and south of Kaiwarra were blocked for distances up to two miles with vehicles four and five abreast, iumbled together. „

J , B • , ^ , \ First wariiing of the fire was given when the automatic alarm from the store registered a fire in the office on the ground floor of the store, at 10.8 p.m. A fire engine froin the Thorndoii station arrived at the store about four iniiiutes later. No sign Of the fire coltld be seeh from the road ahd when the office was opeiied with a key held by °the fire brigacle, only the shiell of smoke warned that there was a fire somewhere in the building.

Proceeding into Westminster j Street, a blind street ritniiiii'g on the northern side of the store to-;. the railway, Fourth Officer A. Milne, who was in charge, noticed wisps of smoke and broke his way through a small door to be cont'ronted with a wall of fire coming at him dowh the staircase. He iramediately i Sent by radiqan appeal to headqilarters for j more assistance. Tliis was; sent and a few minutes later the chief , officer, Superinteiideiit ' G. A. Woolley, ordered a brigade alarm which took a total of 12 appliances and two service trucks to the scene. With 70 men Sttperin- 1 tendent Woolley himself tookj charge. Within 20 minutes of the alarm 1 the roof collapsed aii-d the north east corner of the building fell out. By tlien the flames were reaching up to 100 feet above the building, more specially toward j its rear beside the railway line. Soon after 11 p.m. the back wall teli outward bui'ying lines of rails iii masonry and fiaming wool bales.

With a maze of hoses which the j Jnspector of Fire Krigades des^ | cribed as the most he had ever | seen used for a fire and with the j engines dra.wing water from the j Kaiwarra sfream and from the j city mains, many streams of water i vvere poared into the building ! from all sides, iiicluding oue jet from inside Gable 's foundry, the next building to the south. This jet was direeted through breaches in the top of the store 's southern wall. By 2.30 a.ni. the initial fierce-j ness of the blaze was reduced and it was possible for firemen in baiches to be „sent away for a rest and meal.' They were still at work, however, when daylight came for sections of the fire, specially a stack of wool in the centre of th'e building, were still burning steadily. By 10 a.m. there was little left burning though smoke from smouldering embers alid wool shrouded the fantastically twisted network of the building 's inner frainework.