FIRE AT TURUA.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4811, 16 February 1925, Page 2

FIRE AT TURUA.

GARAGE AND SIX CARS LOST. PLANT COMPLETELY GUTTED. Mr C. motor garage and workshop at Turua and six motorcars were completely destroyed by lire about 9 o’clock on Saturday evening

The building was a large corrugated iron one, and contained a large quantity of expensive machinery, including lathes, drills, etc., and innumerable toolis. It has been said that the plant was one of the most complete of its kind in the district. In addition there was a fair quantity of stock.

At the time of the fire there were parked in the garage six motor-cars, and these also were completely destroyed. They included Mr Bedford’s seven-seater Chandler, Dr. Valentine’s new Dodge, which had only been used on three or four occasions, Mr C Scott’s new Rugby, which had only travelled about 100 miles, Mr A. Walker's new Rugby (510 miles only), Mr G. J. Walker’w Ford, and a Dodge delivery van owned by Mr C. Scott. A motor-cycle sidecar owned by Mr C. Bedford, and several milking machine engines and pumps owned by farmers of the district, were also destroyed. The fire was caused in a peculiar manner. For the purpose of getting at some sediment which was blocking the outlet Mr Bedford had tipped most of the benzine from a motor-car tank into a couple of benzine tins, but finding that another tin was required he was proceeding to a door at the side of the shop when he .tripped over a long wire attached to a portable electric inspection lamp he was using to light his work. The jerk caused the lamp to fall and break, igniting the fumes of the benzine. An explosion ensued, blowing Mr Bedford right out of the door on to a scrap heap nearby and apparently scattering burning benzine .all over the garage, for, Mr Bedford states, when he picked himself up everything in the shop was alight. It was obviously impossible to save anything, and the crowd that quickly collected could only stand and watch the conflagration. Fortunately the building was an isolated one, and the wind wits blowing towards it from the street, so there was practically no danger of the fire spreading. The corrugated iron walls evidently stood for some time, as the grass outaide was not scorched as would be expected. Nevertheless several new tanks lying on the roadside at the edge of the footpath had the solder melted off them, and an elSctric power pole standing about 18 feet in front of t-he shop was set alight. From an iinspection of the ruins yesterday it was apparent that an intense heat must have been generated. Shafting had bent double in its fall, and much metal had been melted. It is doubtful if anything of any use could be found in the mass of twisted iron.

Particulars of the insurances cannot yet be ascertained. There is a very small cover on the building and stock, and Mr Bedford will be a very heavy loser. It is understood that all the motor-cars were covered by insurance, but even so, the owners will be heavy losers, as it is only possible to insure a motor-car to three-quar-ters of its value. Usually there are three or four motor-cars in the garage undergoing repair, but on the night of the fire there was, fortunately, none. The owner of a Jewett car had left his machine on the roadside for the purpose of garaging it for the night when a rearrangement of the vehicles, in the workshop had been made to make space.

To cope with the increasing amount of work offering Mr Bedford had intended extending his garage along another 40ft of frontage and building a number of private garages. The timber had even been ordered.