FIRE IN MASTERTON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 June 1938, Page 6

FIRE IN MASTERTON

ARCHER STREET RESIDENCE DAMAGED EARLY MORNING OUTBREAK A six-roomed house, 11 Archer Street, occupied by Mrs Bessie McKeown, was damaged by fire early this morning. The Masterton Fire Brigade received a call by both telephone and street alarm at 0.27 a.m. On arrival it was found that the fire had a good hold in the kitchen, from which room the flames had eaten their way through to an adjoining bedroom and into the roof. The brigade soon had the fire in hand. It is understood that the cause of the fire was an electric iron, which had been left switched on. Mrs McKeown had left the house earlier in the evening for Matahiwi to spend the weekend there. The kitchen was badly gutted, and a considerable part of the roof was gutted. The other rooms and their contents suffered from heat and water. The building is owned by Mrs McLaren, Hinakura. COMPLAINT OF DELAY * STATEMENT BY FIRE BRIGADE People who were at the fire complained that there was some delay in the brigade reaching the scene and that when a machine did arrive there was only one man aboard. When the matter was referred to the Superintendent, Mr T. B. Clark, he said that the man on duty at the station did not transmit the call correctly and although he was a member of the crew of the first engine to leave the station, he did not redirect it until it reached a street alarm box in South Road. The machine immediately turned back and proceeded to the fire. Actually, the second machine to leave the station arrived at the fire first, and that was why there was only one man aboard, although others were proceeding to the fire by bicycle. When the first machine to leave the station reached the fire a lead had just been connected up, and the fire was quickly brought under control. MATTER TO BE REVIEWED. The chairman of the Masterton Fire Board, Mr Trevor Beetham, interviewed regarding the matter, said he had instructed the secretary to ’ make full inquiries and these confirmed the statement of the Superintendent. The whole matter would be reviewed at the next meeting of the fire board.