A BIG BLAZE

Evening Star, Issue 19797, 22 February 1928, Page 14

A BIG BLAZE

FURNITURE FACTORY GUTTED

[Per United Press Association.!

NAPIER, February 21A fire,which claimed the attention ol ivo brigades this afternoon completely iemolished a two-story furniture lacory iu Kennedy road, besides doing onsidcrablo damage to valuable timber tacked nearby and endangering sevnil adjacent houses as well as a smaller milding. The factory was occupied by .lessrs Allan and Harris, the wellmown furniture manufacturers, and •ontuiiied a considerable amount of machinery, furniture in various stages of completion, and commodities used in the trade. Messrs Holden Bros., owners of the building, used only one room, but they had much timber stacked in tin} vicinity. The outbreak bad its origin in tho overturning of a small stove that was being used by one of tho employees iu a room stocked with inflammable materials. The flames spread with alarming rapidity, and by tho time the brigade arrived had a complete hold of file whole building. Tho task of subduing tho flames was a hopeless one, so the firemen turned their attention to ensuring the safety of several houses in the immediate vicinity. This was effected after a hard fight, but not before one or two of the houses had been scorched considerably, besides suffering damage from cracked window's. Tho flames, aided by a strong breeze, first consumed the interior of tho building and then attacked the outer walls and upper structure. Inflammable materials, such as turpentine, oils of all descriptions, kerosene, and polish, supplied excellent fuel for the conflagration, and within an hour nothing was left of the wooden structure beyond a smouldering heap of ruins.

At tho height of the fire the flames enveloped tho limber stacked round tho factory, and almost completely dostioyed it. A rack of timber standing between tho ruined factory and the smaller building used by Holden Bros, suffered some damage, but a considerable portion of it was saved, besides a motor lorry parked close by. The insurances on Messrs Allan and Harris’s stock were in tho neighborhood of £2,000, £1,200 of which was covered in the Sun office and £7OO for timber in tho New Zealand office. However, it is estimated that these figures hardly cover tho actual damage. The insurances on tho building were not ascertainable. Messrs Allan and Harris have been singularly unfortunate in regard to fires, as two have been experienced within tho last eighteen months. Th fire brigade was again called out tonight,. shortly before 10 o’clock to quell an outbreak at a residence in Brewster street. Tim flames were controlled before tbc spread became serious, the damage being confined to one room, which was gutted. The origin is unknown