THREE FIRES

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1928, Page 2

THREE FIRES

warren and feeney’s PLANING SHED. The firobells rang out an alarm ol fire last night at 8.30 o’clock. A large glare at once showed the locality— Warren and Feeney’s planing shed on the river hank. Gibson Quay, between Sale and Brittan Streets. The fire had a complete hold when the alarm was given though passers-by only a few minutes before saw no sign of fire. The shavings and sawdust, with the wood walls of the shed, burnt very fiercely for a, few minutes, the strong wind assisting, but as soon as the water was laid on the Brigade bad the fire under control and a few minutes saw the blaze subdued. The Fire Brigade attended in strong force under Supt .Braddon, and there was a large gathering of spectators drawn to the scene. The contents of the shed wore a planing machine and a gas engine, but the machine bad not been in operation for some time past. The fire broke out with great rapidity. Pass-ers-by only a few minutes before saw no sign of danger and shortly after the whole south end of the sited seemed ablaze. The insurances were £3OO on building and machinery and £2OO on stock, in the British Trading Coy. There was no stock in tile building at the time of tbo fire. NEWMANS MOTORS OARAGE ablaze. At 10.10 p.m. file firobells rang out another alarm. This time the scene of the lire was at Newmans Motors Ltd. Garage in the centre of the town at the clock tower junction of Weld and Sewell Streets. Tile live broke outin an attic storeroom above the main entramc to the building. When the alarm was given the caretaker (Mr Tom Bennett) was sitting in the tourist room reading, awaiting the homing of some cars, and lie knew nothing till passers-by gave the alarm. The upstairs portion was then breaking out fiercely and it looked a very ugly position. The main doors were thrown open and willing hands pushed out the large number of motor cars that were in the garage, all being rescued without receiving any damage. The Fire Brigade were quickly on the spot and several leads of hose played strong streams of water on the flames. 'I here was a lot of old rubber tubes and other used portions of cars upstairs,, where the bed of tbo caretaker was also situated, and the fumes from the burning rubber were very thick. It was not till some iron sheets off the roof were removed and the water played through it, that the flames wore controlled and soon all danger of spreading was ended. It was a remarkably good save on the part of tbo Brigade, the only damage except to the attic and the roof in that vicinity being by smoke. The stock was on the ground floor and this is only damaged by water, while the office books and impels are only damped in places. The whole of the inside of the building is smoke damaged, showing the volume of smoke that resulted. The fire made its way in one or two places through the front of the building and this will i-ec) u ire renewal. The damage to the building though not so apparent from the outside, is substantial and il will probably require! an expenditure of some £SOO to £OOO. There is an insurance of £ISOO on the building and £SOO on the stock in the State Office. in spite of the lire, business was procceeding this morning as usual ill the garage. OFT BREAK AT CONVENT. The third alarm of fire in the space ol 11 hours was given this morning at 7.15 o'clock, the scene being Hie laundry attached to St. Colninlikil le’s Convent. The copper boiler hail been lit. and flames ran up the wall fo the roof, apparently caused by a defection in tile brickwork. Luckily the outbreak was discovered quickly and a few buckets of water proved sufficient, to get. the outbreak under control without much material damage being done, which will not exceed £ls to £2O. The throe outbreaks so quickly following each other caused considerable excitement in the town.