Fire Does Heavy Damage To Hotel

Chronicle (Levin), 23 December 1949, Page 3

Fire Does Heavy Damage To Hotel

WANGANUI, Dec. 21. Wanganui lost its.second large hotel within a period of three years when fire early this morning caused extensive damage to the 34-room two-storey Metropolitan Hotel on the corner of Taupo Quay and St. 'Hill Street. The widely known Rutland, which is still in course of reconstruetion, was destroyed by fire on December 30, 1946. RouBed by a porter-barman who was awakened by the tinkling of f alling glass, five guests and eight members of the staff of the Metropolitan Hotel found the building a mass of flames and made their escape, many of them by fire escapes on the upper floor, in night attire. Called from a street alarm box at 5.30 a.m., tliree engines from the Central Fire Station and one from Castlecliff sub-station were quiekly on the ecene to find the building enveloped in clouds of dense black smoke, witli flames leaping from the windows in St. Hill Street and through the roof in the front portion of the building. The fire was under control within half an hour. Details of the insurance were not available this morning.