THE WELLINGTON FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1922, Page 4

THE WELLINGTON FIRE.

The circumstances connected with the failure of the high-pressure water supply at Wellington, on the occasion of the recent fire, seem almost incredible. That the chief centre of the Dominion should be in danger of being swept by fire from end to end, by reason of no pressure of water feeing available to cope with an outbreak of fire, passes comprehension. This is the third great fire in that city in which the water supply has failed, and it would seem that the time has arrived when due provision should be made to meet any break-down in the pipe line from the source of supply. Happily, just in the nick of time, a lead of 1500 feet of hose was taken over the hill at Kelburn, and it may be this saved the city from a colossal conflagration. The moral is obvious. No large town or city, especially the chief centres, should ever be left unprovided with water at a high pressure that can beat out a fire. Accidents to mains are always possible, hence the imperative necessity of having at hand, for immediate application, the necessary appliances for enabling the water supply to be available in case of fire. To trust to luck is sheer criminal folly. Whenever a break occurs in a main, a temporary substitute should be at once fixed up and made ready for use if occasion requires. Unless the requisite pressure of water is available the work of fire brigades is of no avail, while the fancied security of the community is a delusion and a snare. All municipalities should turn their attention to this important matter and take the necessary steps to prevent disasters that can be avoided by forethought and effective action.