FIRE IN NARROW NECK CAMP

Evening Star, Issue 23383, 28 September 1939, Page 18

FIRE IN NARROW NECK CAMP

QUICK SUPPRESSION DAMAGE ONLY £SO fPER United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, September il. While the army troops were asleep in 77 bedrooms as well as in the recreation and social rooms a firo occurred in the two-storied wooden barracks building at Narrow Neck military camp in the early hours of the morning. The outbreak was promptly dealt with and suppressed before more than Lou worth of damage was done, ' . The seat of the fire was in a singlestory attachment at the far end of the building housing a supply of coal and a feeder engine serving, the boner for the hot water service. Through a wall covered with asbestos was the kitchen, and it was a member of the kitchen staff who raised the alarm from the fire box in the grounds at 1.40 a.m. When the volunteer fire brigade arrived from Dcvonport the guard at the gate knew nothing of the fire, and one of the firemen had to -climb over the gate to open it. , , Within a matter of minutes two loads of hose were trained on the flames, which- were sipreading up the wall to the ceiling, and after two minutes tne hoses were no longer required. All the troops were not out of their beds bv the time the fire had been extinguished. No general alarm was given. An inspection showed that the fire had reached the ceiling, it might have spread rapidly assisted by a good draught had it not been caught m tne nick of time. ■ “ It could have been a mighty fire, said Superintendent H. Follas, of the Devbnport Fire Brigade. ' The flames crept up the wall separating the-out-building from the kitchen passageway and dining room. Directly overhead were the bedrooms. The .timber in the ceiling would not have taken many minutes to have caught ablaze, and there were many features which migur have caused great difficulty.”’ Within an hour the building was beyond all danger. The damage was confined to one end of tne building* tne coal and engine house and the outside wall of the main structure suffering most.