Mysterious Run of Fires On West Coast

Chronicle (Levin), 16 February 1949, Page 2

Mysterious Run of Fires On West Coast

GREYMOUTH, Feb. 14. Fire completely destroyed the Gladstone Hall, at Gladstone, live miles from Greymouth, in the early hours of HiiY'hiornmg, adding yet aiiother public or semi-publie building to tlie growiug list of those to ligure in mysterious (ires in the distriet in reeent months. Fire swept through the building in a sliort time and the residents feaiising'the futility of iightiug the blaze, concentrated on saving the nearby garage and liouses, wliicli were seriously tlireatened. The hall had not been used for three weeks, since the visit of the Empire Cliief Scout, Lord Rowallan. The outbreak occurred shortly before two o'elock this nioruing, eomciding in timo with the weekend lires which . iu tuni during the past lu months, gutted the Greymouth Town Hall, the Westland Brewery, the Greymouth Working Men's Clul), the St. Columba Hall, and a newly-built but uuoccupied bungalow in. Marsden Road, Greymouth. The iirc apparently had its seat under the easteru comer of the largt. wooden structure. The saving of the nearby properties was the result of quick action by the residents. By the time buclcet brigades were organised — there wfcre no fire-hghting facilities — • the hall whs obviously doomed, but a nearby garage, stocked with pctrol,

oil, and machinery, was tlireatened, to gether with a house on the western side of the hall, while it was obvious , that, if the lire gained a hold in the garage, difficulty would be cxpcrioncd •in saving the three houses built close to it. A large lean-to shed, between the hall and the garage was ripped com- ■ pletely out of the way by . a motorlorry. Nearby dwellings were evaeuated and the furniture removed. \ j The hall and its contents were ineured for £500. Replaeement of the building itself would cost niore than • £3000. The police invcstigatlng tlie cause of the lire are faced with a difticult task in view of the coinplete destruction of the hall. ' .