R. G. BALLANTYNE’S ACCOUNT OF THE FIRE

Grey River Argus, 4 February 1948, Page 7

R. G. BALLANTYNE’S ACCOUNT OF THE FIRE

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 3. Calling Roger Fairbairn Ballantyne assistant manager, before the Royal Commission of Inquiry to-day, Mr. G G. G. Watson, for the Crown, said his evidence'at this stage would be restricted to his own actions. Witness said that as assistant-man-ager, lie was continual!:/ moving about the building. He was first informed of the lire by Luke, who told him there was a lire in the furnishing reserve cellar. He was then in the dress depot on the ground floor in the south-west corner of the building. Witness said: "I am afraid that I cannot be definite about, any timos at all. I think it would be about 3.30. I have nothing by which to fix the times. I think Mr. Luke said: ‘There is a fire in the furnishing basement and the brigade has been called.’ ” From the dress department he went out to the top of the stairs leading to Congreve’s cellar. He had not noticed smoke until then. It was comin" up the cellar stairs. He had followed the route he did because he thought it would be quicker. He had picked up a fire extinguisher. He knew Smith worked in the cellar and they were concerned about him. That was the first question asked. There were several people about and all were agitated about Smith. SMELL OF OIL. The smoke was “semi-pitchy, semioily,’’ witness said. “There was a smell of oil there.” He did not remember seeing Stringer while in the cellar. As far as he could remember he took an extinguisher with him, Ballantyne said. When he had gone as far as he could, he was blocked by smoke. On leaving the cellar he met F’alkingham at the head of the stairs. He told Falkingham to go down Congreve’s right-of-way, to the street and show the brigade the quickest way in. They did not discuss alternative ways of getting in. Witness asked Boon to telephone for Appleyard, because he thought Appleyard would be able to help. He thought the lights were on in the cellar. He then made another attempt to get in but was driven back by smoke. Luke told him that the brigade had been 'called. ANXIOUS FOR BRIGADE. He had become apprehensive .as to the brigade not arriving, said Ballantyne. He had asked Boon to ring the brigade. After sending Boon and as the brigade had still not arrived, he went to telephone himself. He called the house operator and said there was a lire in the furnishing department. He thought he either said “Call the brigade” or "Has the brigade been called?” 7 he operator said it had been called. He could have telephoned the brigade himself. He thought he would put the job on the operator and so leave himself free to do something else. Mr. J. O. Hutchinson (for the r ire Board) objected to a question as to what the operator had said, because it could not be checked. The chairman ruled it as admissible. THOUGHT EXTINGUISHER WOULD DO. “I was agitated about the non-ar-rival of the brigade and that led me to go down the right-of-way towards Colombo Street,” witness said. “On my wav down I met a fireman. He was then on the inside of the double doors and endeavouring to unroll a hose. The smoke was fairly dense. I (old him’ that there was no flame and that I thought that an extinguisher would do. I remember reporting the possibility of Smith being in the cellar to the firemen. As soon as I had this conversation I ■vent out along the alley and I remember meeting more firemen with masks. A little later when the smoke had got thicker I went to show them the entrance to the cellar from the alleyway. I got within three feet of the door. The smoke was bad and we were feeling our way along the wall. I think the fireman went for a respirator.” SEEKING ENTRY TO CELLAR. After retracing his. steps to Colombo I Street, Ballantyne said, the fireman asked him if there was an alternative entrance to the cellar. He said there was and proceeded to show him the wav he had in mind going into Goodwin’s from Colombo Street. It was evident, however, that that part of the building was well filled with smoke. Having gone in through the main entrance, he took the fireman to the goods lift well. Ihe lilt was in the cellar at the foot of the well. There was some smoke in the cellar, but there was none coming up, nor was there any heat or flames. Ballantyne said that while he was looking down the lights went out/ and the pneumatic cash blower stopped. There was a simultaneous flash when the lights went out. The flas happeared to come from a northerly direction. When Mr. Watson said that a fireman would say there was no sign of smoke or heat or anything abnormal, Ballantyne said there was smoke and a flash,’ but no heat. DREW ATTENTION TO THE GIRLS “No,” said Ballantyne, when asked if he had given any instructions for the evacuation of the staff and customers before he went out to the street with the fireman. They parted near the entrance and as he went up the street he noticed some girls at the third floor window in Goodwin's building. At times they were obscured by smoke. He drew the attention of a brigade member to the girls Then he went to the fireman and pointed out the girls. He made no comment and I think he moved away. At that time a ladder could have been put up without great trouble from the smoke,” said Ballantyne. He was outside when he first saw the flames. He thought, the flame was coming from the first floor of Congreve’s building. Having seen the flame he went through a Cashel Street entrance to the foot of the main stairs, where he met girls from the women’s shoe department going back to get “gear.” “I told them I thought that thev should leave immediately. I went up‘ to the first floor. By that time I was surprised to see that the fire had got a good hold and there was glass coming down. The flames were in the furnishing department and were just coming through the archway. I could see that the Goodwin’s part was well aflame.” , 2 Witness then saw people at the foot of the stairs with fire extinguishers. He joined in with them and the fire could be seen coming through the fire doors in the western end of Goodwin’s, towards the main staircase. He could hear the fire above. If could be heard breaking through above the cash desk and good deal more debris began to fall at the head of the stairs. It became hopeless for anything to be done with extinguishers and they left the building, going out into Cashel Street. He re-entered the tearoom block and went upstairs to the first floor. He went right through the main tearoom to the eastern end. There were no people there. The fire was break-

ing through the archway between the inner and outer lounge. He could get no further on account of the heat, j TRIED FIRM’S OWN HOSE. Ballantyne continued: ‘I think some others were with me, and we unrolled the firm’s own hose. There " were no firemen. I played the hose ( on to doors through which flame was - coming. The water was quite inadequate. We abandoned the hose, and 1 think the others came out with me. That was the last occasion on which I was in the building. I remember « a bell ringing continuously in the premises. The onlv two main bells < were a time bell for the employees, and a bell for ..the nightwatchmen. J There were no alarm bells. Smok- ; ing on the part of employees in the K building, was absolutely prohibited, except in the cafeteria at lunch time.” He added that the employees a were forbidden to carry wax matches or the spring type of cigarette lighters. To Mr. T. P. Cleary (for Ballantyne and Coy.), witness said that he personally did not remember asking if the bi-igade had begn called when he arrived at the top of the cellar stairs. Until he drew the fireman’s attention to the girls upstairs, no thought of danger to anyone had occurred to him. He went up the stairs. There were people coming down. He went up to see if there were any more there, but he could / not go far beyond the head of the stairs.