The Daily News. MONDAY, JULY 24. SATURDAY'S FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JULY 24. SATURDAY'S FIRE.

N'ew Plymouth may thank its Fire Brigade that Saturday morning's fire did not make a clean sweep of the Western half of the town. The loss was great enough as it was. From the moment of the Brigade's arrival it was plain that the theatre building and the contiguous shops in Egmont and Devon Streets were doomed, and the fate of the neighboring blocks was in the balance for nearly an hour afterwards. The brigade, served by an excellent pressure of water, valiantly fought the lire at every point. l''or a time the contest seemed unequal, the fire having such a hold, and fanned as it was by a strong wind. Superintendent Bellringer displayed admirable generalship, disposing his men and leads to the best advantage, wasting no effort or time on the doomed buildings but concentrating on the parts vital to the safety of the neighboring blocks. It was a great tight, and the brigade's intrepidity energy and generalship won. The tirelighters deserve the town's gratitude, the brigade has always been noted for

its ellk-icncy, to which is due the comparative immunity from serious tires the town has previously enjoyed, and Saturday's performance .will serve to strengthen that reputation. The destruction of the property in the block, with the dislocation, of the businesses concerned, is a serious matter for the (own. It is often 6aid that New Plymouth would be greatly benefited by a succession of tires, so us to remove the old wooden buildings .uid have them replaced by brick or concrete structures. But rebuilding the town under these conditions might easily give the town a serious set-back. Saturday's tire directly all'ected over twenty businesses, all of which sulfeied heavily. Some of the buildings destroyed will be vebuilt immediately; others may not be for years, leaving an ugly gap right in the heart of the town. There is one feature of the fire that is satisfactory.

It is that the conflagration did not occur when the theatre was filled with people. Had it been, there would without doubt have been a heavy death roll. Had the wind been blowing from a

different direction, the peril perhaps would not have been so great, but as it was the wind caused a terriftic ilraught right under and through the old wooden r-lrueture, which was a raging inferno in but a few minutes. To

lose property is bad enough, but it is as nothing compared with loss of life. Altogether the town is fortunate the results were not worse than they were. Tlie dividing wall again proved its eflicacy

in limiting the spread of a lire; thai, between Messrs Govt tt and Quilliam's office and Vcale's shop undoubtedly enabled tire brigade to save the White Hart and all the neighboring

buildings. There lias lately been an inclination to ease tlie requirements of the building by-laws in the brick area. After ■Saturday's experience .we will probably bear 110 more about dispensing with oarty walls or about the non-euforce-nient of building in concrete or brick in the inner portion 01 the town. There

are many vexatious restrictions on building in the new by-laws that act as n brake on enterprise where more elasticity could with advantage be shown by the Council anil its officers, hut when it comes to the protection of life and the building of the walls in concrete or brick there must lie. no relaxing whatever. New Plymouth has had its lesson, which it no doubt will take to heart, and, if it does, Saturday's fire, disas-

trous as it was, will not have been an unmixed evil. - .. -