SERIOUS BLAZE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 May 1943, Page 4

SERIOUS BLAZE

AT MARLBOROUGH CAMP. CAUSED BY MOTOR LORRY BACKFIRE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, This Day. The backfiring of a motor' lorry, which itself became a total loss, caused an outbreak of fire at a military camp in Marlborough at aboxxt 6.30 last evening. An adjacent structure was quickly aflame and as this contained a large quantity of explosives, hurried calls fox' assistance were sent both to an air station and to Blenheim. An emergency crew was quickly on its way from the town. Its departure with an E.P.S. trailer pump, combined with the fact that for some time previously a series of muffled explosions could be heard clearly in Blenheim, caused considerable conjecture. The brigadesmen found it impossible, on their arrival at the scene, to approach very near the centre of the outbreak, because of the risk from explosives, but aftex' the flames had died down somewhat, several hundreds of gallons of watex* from an air force tender were poured on to the fire through a trailer pump. No one was injured, although one man suffered from the effects of shock. An inquiry has been instituted by the Army authorities.