FIRE AT WANGANUI.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1024, 13 January 1911, Page 8

FIRE AT WANGANUI.

DISTRICT HICH SCHOOL DESTROYED. A MYSTERIOUS OUTBREAK., (By Telecraphr-Spocial .Correspondent.) . ■ Wanganul, January 12. A disastrous blaze occurred in Upper Avenue- this morning, when tho District High School- was.practically totally destroyed.: The.origin of tho firo is a but appearances point to it haviiigstartedin the'science room. • Tho school'was-partly destroyed by firo two and a'half years,ago, tho burned part being .replaced in brick. The wooden portion-'which escaped the flames then was made a clean sweep of to-day, and only the walls and a small part of tho roof of tho. rest; left. What stands appears unsafe, so •. probably complete rebuilding will be, necessary. ' Fanned by a strong-wind, the flames spread with amazing rapidity,' and tho heat was so terrific (it being impossible, for the time to stand on tho opposite side of tho street) that the fire brigade could hardly face it.. They stuck to their work splendidly, however, but in spite of the fine .'pressure' of water they could-, make, no impression on tho flames, the building being doomed from tho outset.- ••:.; : : > Tho '■ wooden wing on.the east side was clean gone: in twenty minutes, and a q'uarter.of an hour later the south wing iat-: tho' rear, was also' gone.. - > • The front wing (owing to the dividing wall) resisted the flames for some time, but" art hour after the outbreak it was also a hopeless, ruin. . The. intense" jioat which accompanied tho fire is said'to bo duo to .the asbestos tiles which formed the roof, and which retained tho fire inside, forcing it to' travel laterally, which it did in an extraordinarily- rapid fashion. ■ Finally, oven,tho asbestos was unable to withstand tho heat, aiid thousands of tiles cracked in, succession like'.rifle fire for several minutes, tho fusillade causing the spectators to give the' building a wide berth, under the impression that tho noise was duo to explosives in the school cadets' ammunition store..

■ The headmaster's . son, who went l •through the building an hour before the fire in search of his father, visited every room but the science room, and reports that nothing was then amiss, while, pedestrians who passed by'only five minutes prior to the outbreak saw absolutely nothing wrong. The school ■was, of course, closed for.the holidays, and-it.is puzzling to put forward any reason 'for thei/outbreak. ■'•-.There is no : insurance on tho school. "

,' Pending rebuilding, the pupils will be accommodated in'the class rooms of the various churches.

We arc informed that the loss is probably £5000 or £6000.

At ■ 12.14 p.m. yesterday a call to 140 Tory Street in a chemist's shop owned by Mr. Frank Shaw and conducted by a manager. A fire had broken out in the dispensary at tho roar of\the -shop, and, before it was suppressed, the room and its contents .were badly damaged. The, shop also suffered through smoke and water. Tho contents of the shop were covered by a policy for £400 in tho Royal Exchange Oliice, and the contents of the dwelling portion of tho premises were insured for £50 with the Commercial Union.

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