BIG FIRE AT OHAKEA

Chronicle (Levin), 20 January 1949, Page 9

BIG FIRE AT OHAKEA

Valuable Air Force Stores Deslroyed An, unknown quantity of valuable Air Force stpres and equipment was desfroyed last night when fire broke out.in the nofthern end of the stores block at" the Royai New Zealand Air Force Station at Ohakea and swept through half of the 240 feet long woodep htiilding before the flames were brought uhder control. A rough estiniate hy station officials put the damage at somewhere between £5000 and £10,000, hut 'it was explained that this could be only guesswork and no reliable estimate could be given until a detailed check of missing equipment had heen made. Many thousands of pounds worth of aircraft instruments, tools and accessories were saved as the result of the speedy organisation of the station personnel into human chains along which stores were passed from the still burning building, Tyres, .radio equipment, tools and instruments - were among the valuable stores saved in this manner. r ; - • The ontbreak was first notieed at 7.15 p.m. and the fire, having apparently started inside the building, had by that time seeured a strong hold. Even before the general alarm had been given the station fire crew was on "the job, and wearing gas masks, they took leads right through the centre of the building and'Aplayed water directly on to the flanxes. ' /r The Works Department supplied two boosters and with seven leads operating the fire eventually was brought uuder control about an hour and a-half after it had first been reported. However, by that time one-third of the woolen structure had been completely gutted and a furtlier portion hau been damaged. Flight-Sergeant Geddes was in the office of the stores building niaking out returns when he saw the fire engi-ne draw up outside. Going out to see what the exeitement was about he learned for the first time of the fire that had been raging only a short distance from him. One or two minor explosions occurrej during the fire and there was one of a major nature, presumably caused hy the igniting of casks of cleaning fluid. The building is a long narrow one eituated between the main entrance to the station and the northern turn-off from the main Bulls-Palmerston North Road. It faces on to the side-road known as Pukenui Road. The fire began at the northern end and undoubtedly was assisted by the light northerly hreeze blowing at the time. Portunately this breeze died away, materially aiding the efforts to suppress the outbreak. Tliree or- four lorry loads of new stores and equipineaat had been un loaded into the store from the railway at Feilding yesterday and last night no indication could be obtained of the nature of the new stores or their approximate value. It was not known last night whether there would be an inquiry into the cause of the fire.