BARRACKS FIRE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20054, 28 September 1939, Page 16

BARRACKS FIRE

MARROW NECK CAMP BLAZE CAUGHT IN TIME FLAMES UNDER BEDROOMS i ' LITTLE DAMAGE DONE (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. While army troops were asleep in 77 bedrooms as well as the recreation and social rooms, a fire occurred in the two-storeyed wooden barracks building at Narrow Neck military camp, in the early hours of the morning. The outbreak was promptly suppressed before more than £SO worth of-' damage was done.

The seat of the fire was in a singlestoreyed attachment at the far end of the building housing a supply of coal and the feeder engine serving the boiler 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 a fire-box in. the grounds at 1.40 a.m. ' 1 \ , When the volunteer fire brigade arrived from Devonport the guard on 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 leads of hose were trained on the flames, which were spreading up the wall to the ceiling, and after two minutes the hoses were no longer required. No General Alarm All the troops were not out of their beds by the time the fire had been extinguished. No general alarm was given. An inspection showed that the fire had reached the ceiling, where {it might have spread, rapidly assisted by a good draught, had it not been caught in the nick of time, according to the Devonport fire superintendent, Mr. H. E. Follas. “It could have been a mighty fire,” said Mr. Follas. “The flames crept up the wall separating the outbuilding from the kitchen passageway and the dining-room. Directly overhead were bedrooms. The timber in the ceiling would not have taken many minutes to have caught ablaze, and there were many features which might have caused great difficulty.” . .. - Within an hour the building wag, beyond all danger. The damage was confined to one end of tire building, the coal and engine house and the outside wall of the main structure suffering most.