FIRE CAUSES EXCITEMENT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 80, 28 December 1937, Page 9

FIRE CAUSES EXCITEMENT

-Press Association.)

Dense Smoke Floats Across Harbour

(By Telegraph-

; AUCKLAND, Last Night. ' ^aexpeeted excitement for the large crowd assembled to watch the arrival ti the Centaurus was provicied aliortiy before three o'clock this afternoon when a number of piles heaped near the Pan-American Airways base at Mechanies Bay were set alight probably from the ash of a earelessly dropped cigarette butt. A number of people standing on logs were first to notice smoke curling up. Before the chemical extinguishers could be brought into play the wind -had fanned the flames and they had a good hold on the stringy bark. Two machines from the central fir6 station screamed along the waterfront road a mimite or so later, while police constables kept the crowd back to enable them to get within a few yards of the fire. Dense clouds of yellow smoke rolled out over the harbour and with the Centaurus due at any miyment it seemed iikely that her landing would be obscured from th6 view of many oi those on the shore. First-aid equipment kept the flames '.n check until one of the two firir ongines was manoeuvred into position on the embankment. Sea water was j mmped on to the burning logs and bv the timo the flying-boat made her appearance the last smouldering enibers had been extiuguished and a num icr of spectators climbcd back lo their jrmcr posilions on the piles to get t jetter view oi' proeeedings.