FIRE DISASTER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 May 1938, Page 8

FIRE DISASTER

EARLY MORNING OUTBREAK IN CHRISTCHURCH RADIO STATION, THEATRE AND SHOPS GUTTED. DAMAGE OF SERIOUS EXTENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A fire early this morning gutted Radio Station 3ZB, Mac Duff’s Department Store, the State Theatre and nine shops. The buildings involved are valued at over £200,000. The outbreak is now under control. Large city buildings were almost completely destroyed by fire this morning. The loss, including structural damage and the destruction of stock, is estimated to be well over £lOO,OOO. When the Fire Brigade arrived shortly before three o’clock this morning, the flames had a tenacious grip on the studios of the National Commercial Broadcasting Service Station, which are in part of Mac Duff’s building and the second floor of MacDuffs’ Ltd, a building' of four storeys. From there they spread to the top floor of the building and thence to the State Theatre, which was completely destroyed. The brigade, operating five engines and ten leads of hose, found that it had a difficult task on its hands, but managed to confine the greatest part of the damage to those parts of MacDuffs’ building nearest to Colombo Street. The interior of the State Theatre was too much for the fire fighters. The flames swept straight through it, leaving a wake of ruin and desolation. Premises completely destroyed are the 3ZB Studios, the top floors of MacDuffs’ Ltd, and the State Theatre. A concrete ceiling saved twelve shops on the Colombo Street and Gloucester Street frontages from structural damage, but thousands of gallons of water, pouring in a continuous stream down the stairs did heavy damage to stock. The alarm was given from a street call box at 2.47 a.m. On arrival the brigade found the 3ZB Studio and the floor above it in grip of flames. They ran their leads through the ground floor of Macduffs’ and up stairs, fighting the fire from the back of the premises on every floor. It was a fight which was still in progress when hundreds of people were watching from the streets at nine o'clock this morning.

Although a concrete floor separated the Broadcasting Studio from the floor above it, the flames swept up through the staircase opening. It was at first thought that a concrete dividing wall would save the State Theatre, but the fire, having a firm hold on the upper floors of Mac Duffs, poured out through the windows just above the iron roof of the State Theatre and

the heat ignited the timber below the iron.

The State Theatre building, including the land, is valued at £50,080. Large cracks are evident in the walls and the interior of the building, above the ground floor is a smoking ruin. Flames were still flickering in the wreckage after 8 o'clock this morning. The manager of Mac Duffs Ltd., estimates the loss of stock alone in his premises at £30,000. The interior of this building, too, is completely destroyed above the ground floor and floods of water pouring down into the shop have completely ruined the stock. The windows of the shops on the State Theatre street frontage presented a sorry sight. Soggy shoes, limp.focks and coats and sodden boxes of goods sat dejectedly in pools of water, while from the ceiling more water and still more water rained down on them.