A TAURANGA BLAZE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1916, Page 4

A TAURANGA BLAZE.

DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT -£30,009.' ' __ By Telegraph.—Press Association. '"'' " Tauranga, Last Night. At 1.4,5 this morning a fire broke t: which, ultimately, proved to be one c the most serious conflagrations c-ei known in Tauranga. The Are ecn* meneed in Bird's Confectionery, on ttw Strand, almost in the middle of the most southerly block of buildings. A. strong easterly wind quickly spread the' flames to MeStay's Commercial Hote'. owned and occupied by Mr. McStay. on the one side, and to Torrance's Idrapr) on the other. D. Woolams (stationei . Innes (jeweller), Norris R nd Bell (land agents), Meers (photograidier), Murdoch (jeweller), Croslcy (tailor), Dromgnl (solicitor) ,and portion of 'HbrnmaniVs (timber yard.) and Griffiths' (moto: garage)) followed in quick succession, und by 5 o'clock nothing remained but Twisted iron and smouldering debris. Meers (photographer) was uninsured, and loses everything. Sornnce (draper) estimates ins loss above the insurance at £10011: Murdoch (jeweller) had a small insurance, but rafters heavy loss, the valuables, left in the safe, being almost totally destroyed. -Solid stacks of v.-ct rimu stacked in Hammond's vard saved further progress towards'the south, whilst the brick Vail of a building owned l<y Mr. Spence (Hawera) stopped the fire, and after burning round into Wharf Street, i:; the other direction, a vacant section stopped it. It is impossible to obtain an accurate statement of insurances, but the followin? are known:—Sun. £I4OO, Guardian £I4OO, Commercial Union £SOO, Alii, ance £BOO, Queensland £IOO, New Zealand .o"ft, Atlas £l5O, Standard £I4OO. The total is considerably more. The total loss of buildings and stock is roughly estimated at not less than £30,000. The cause of the fire is unknown. Mr. Gumbley (Superintendent of the Fire Brigade) fell off the roof of a building, and injured his leg. The brigade worked well, but it was" impossible to stay the fire in such a mass of solid wooden buildings with the \\ci\y wind blowing.