BIG FIRE IN SYDNEY.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1921, Page 3

BIG FIRE IN SYDNEY.

£BOO,OOO DAMAGE DONE. BIGGEST WITNESSED IN SYDNEY. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. SYDNEY, December 13. A fire which occurred at tho Pastoral Finance Association’s stores was ono of the biggest most spectacular, and destructive fires in Sydney history. The stores were situated at Kirribilli Point and comprised six storeys and a basement with a floor space of between four and five acres fronting tho barliour. Luckily the Inn Ming was practically detached, excepting tho rear where it abutts on to a* street, in which is Admiralty House, tho residence of the Governor-General when in Sydney. He is not there at present. Admiralty House is separated from tho stores bv a section of vacant land. Tt was threatened but the efforts of tho firemen and naval men from the warships saved it. Tuo lire was discovered by employees arriving to start work. The flames then had a good hold on the building which apparently had been ablaze for some time, and which from the outset, was doomed, the fire being fed by great quantities of tallow, frozen meat and other inflammable produce, besides 32.000 hales of mostly new season, wool. The lire spread with the greatest rapidity, and in a couple of. hours was raging from end to cud of the building. Fire brigades and lire floats mustered in full force and were assisted by large numbers of bluejackets from warships and the mulal yard, but all they could do was to centre tlieir efforts on preventing a spread of the lire to Admiralty House and the streo 1 at the back. In the latter, the residents made a hurried exit and removed their furniture. Some houses were damaged, hut the flames were prevented from spreading across the street. Business people were flocking to the city for the day’s work and soon immense crowds, at all. vantage places, watched the destruction progress till the walls collapsed with a thunderous sound.

| Punt and ferry services were tem- ! porarily stopped. In the freezing works that are attached to the stores : n quantity of ammonia tubes wore ' stored, and, fearing an explosion, these I were removed at great risk by a party 'of naval men. Tt was a remarkable 1 spectacle from the city side of the liar- ' hour. Hundreds of windows collapsed ami tlm city was filled with pungent smoke from the burning wool. The lire is still burning. The cause of the outbreak is unknown. The bulk of (lie contents belonged to the Association's clients who are heavy losers. though it is understood that the losses are well covered by insurance. No reliable estimate of the damage is available, but a rough estimate of the woof alone is lief.ween flollO.OOO and CfiOO.mi) and (.800,000. I ’I'RTHKI? DETAILS. SYDNEY, December 13. At the Pastoral and Finance Association’s fire, the firemen at first were hampered by a weak water supply which only sprinkled the flumes, hut when the fire limits and naval men arrived. vast quantities of salt water wore played on the building. In view of the danger of the flames spreading to surrounding structures a demolition party was on hand, with gnn cotton, to blow up the burning building.

Although it also was used as a frozen meat store, it has now been ascertained that no meat was there at the time of the outbreak.

(t is anticipated that, as all the wool destroyed was of high grade, it will have a liig bearing on the future wool

prices during this season. <• .Nine lire engines, besides the floats fought the flames necessitating the sending of relief parties of firemen froni Uu» suburban stations.

The fire which is still smouldering i';Tjjp-d for four hours. SYDNEY. December 13. It is estimated the tire damage will amount to millions. SYDNEP. Dec. 14. The “Herald" estimates the fire damage at £600,000. The “Telegraph” puts il ;.t a million including four hundred thousand, the

value of the building. The actual insurances are not disclosed. hut are roughly estimated at four hundred thousand. Heavy columns of smoke arc pouring from the smouldering wool and are likely to continue for days. The wool losses ropiesont about six por cent, of the total amount waiting for auction in S.vdney. Tile Finance Association supplied a large number of residents ot North Sydney with electric light and power, ami as the electric plant is destroyed, tbc residents are robbed of supplies.