FIRE IN NAPIER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 13

FIRE IN NAPIER

i 9 - Benzine Fumes Carried by Draiight Ignite DENSE SMOKE PALL A particularly good eav© Was made by thb Napier Central Fire Brigade, when it redeiwd a call at 8.42 last evehing to a fire in Cameron road. Napier, at a house ocCUpied by a Mf Gregory. The fire, caused by the ignitioii of some benzine, spread quickly, giving off deaise clouds of black smoke, but the brigade arrived promptly on ihe scene and the damage was limited to the burning of a washhous^e attached to the building and part of the kitchen. . Mt Gregory Was washing a suit of clothes in benzine outside the door of the washhouse. A fire wks burning beneath the copper in the washhouse, and it is presuined that a suddett gust of wind blew the fumes of the benzine through the door, where they were ignited at the fire. The brigade was hasfcily summoned, but the fire Spread quickly, and clouds of smoke and sheets of flame wer© visible to people in the shopping area of the town. The fira eeemed to have assumed large propor tions when the brigade al'rived, but a hose was quickly connected and the main portiOn of the fire extinguished. The washhouse was burned out, and some damage was done to the adjoining kitchen, while smoke damaged other parts Of the house to a slight extent. but so quickly Was the fire extinguished that an hour after, the electrio light was still burning in the front part of the house. A difficuity confrenting the brigade was that the building Was separated from the street and the nearest fireplugj by a long alleyway, but ihe hiofie carried on the engine was long enough for the task. It is understood that the house was the property of the Lands- and Survey Department, but no details of insurauce are available.