TWO, FIREMAN KILLED

Chronicle (Levin), 10 December 1949, Page 5

TWO, FIREMAN KILLED

Press * Association )

Engine CrasJje? Into

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AtJPBLAND, JPec.9. Two firenjen were killed apd four others iujureq. when a fire engine from the Western pistricts Station, Auckland, capsized at %e infersection of -Franklin Boad and Victprfa atreet West n,ear Yictoria Park shortly after 10 p'clopk tpuight. The engine and. crew were proceeding to a small outbreak of fire in a wopden shed in Fanshgwe atreet. T.urning from Franklin o?1 way to the city thp firp engipe cplUded with a telegra,ph pple ^longside the park, boun,ced from the guttpr and spun round to a positipn on its side 20 yards beyond the PPleIt was the most serious accident to a fire crew in the recent history of Auckland. The brigade vietims were: — Killed FIRST-CLASS FIREMAN ALBERT OI. ARK, aged 50; married, with four children. FIRST-CLASS FIREMAN GEORGE LEONARD OLIVER, aged 22, singie. Injured FIRST-CLASS FIREMAN L. G. McNAMARA, suspected broken collarbone. DRIA^ER G. D. WRIGHT, aged 23, sliock and possible concussion. SECOND-CLASS FIREMAN C. RODGERS, slight shoek. AUXILIARY FIREMAN -J- WILSON, slight shock. All the firemen lived at the western districts' station in Ponsonby. Driver Wright was admitted to the Auckland Hospital for observation, but thp other injured men returned to the station after treatment. Driver Wright 's condition is not serious. The only member of the fire crew of seven who was not taken to hospital was the officer in charge, Station Officer A. Mason. Although his leg was injured he did not ask for treatment. The Superintendent of the Fire j Brigade (Mr G. A. MacKenzie) stated that Mason had informed him: "We have made this trip hundreds of times and the run tonight was no different from any of the others." Superintendent MacKenzie . quoted one of tlie crew who stated that the driver of the fire engine was ehanging gear as it swung into Yictoria Street West from Franklin Road. It skidded i om the tram lines, headed directly at ' the telegraph post on the opposite side of the street, turned round and capsized. Passengers in a IIe.rne Bay bound trollev bus which had stopped at the intersection of Franklin Road and Yictoria Street West were horrifiad witj nesses of the accident. %".WAW,VAVAWAW.V,Vr