NEWTON BLAZE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 32, 7 February 1934, Page 8

NEWTON BLAZE.

FIREMEN FORCE ENTRY BURGLAR-PROOF DOOR OPENEDCARE IN PROTECTING STOCK. Housebreaking tools and apparatus that would delight the heart of a burglar were used by firemen from the Central Fire .Station early this morning'' when they hacked their way into the blazing premises of the City Boot Store, Karangahape Road. The store has twice i:i the last few weeks been broken and entered by burglars, and a specially strong door, with reinforced bars, was recently fitted at the back of the promises. It was considered to be "burglar-proof," but it presented little difficulty to the firemen, who were armed with the latest devices for breaking into houses. The alarm was given at 12.25 this morning, and two machines were on the scene in less than two minutes.. The lire was in the storeroom at the back of the shop, and an ingenious doorforcing device was inserted in the jamb of the door, but, in spite of the enormous leverage that the implement exerted, the door held. However, aided by blows from a sledge hammer and an axe £Tle door finally splintered and gave. The whole operation had taken only a minute or so, and within five minutes of the alarm having been given two leads of hose were playing on the fire. In spite of the dense smoke that had accumulated in the restricted area, the firemen were able to restrict the water to the fire, and shelves of stock worth hundreds of poun&s only a few yards from the fire were not damaged •by water. The occupier of the premises, Mr. Ei W. Webb, was enthusiastic over the care and skilled manner in which the firemen had carried out their work.

"A Very Fine Save." "When I arrived at the shop at 2 a.m.," said Mr. Webb, "the fire had been out for some time, nut several of the firemen were still hard at work swabbing water from the floor of the shop. The'fire was just getting through/into the main shop when it was got under control. I consider that they made a very fine save, not only of the building, but also of the remainder of the stock. Goodness knows wTiat would have happened to this old wooden block had there been a wiud blowing last night, or if the fire had not been discovered as early as it was." Mr. Webb estimates the loss of stock at £000, which is insured with Lloyd's.

Modern Fire Fighting. When Mr. W. L. Wilson, superintendent of Auckland Metropolitan Fire Brigade, was told of Mr. Weto's appreciation of the methods employed by the firemen, he remarked that putting out the fire was only half of their job. Valuable stock had to bo protected, and the men went through a highly specialised course of training on the latest methods of minimising damage by water and •Mnoke. The care that had been taken to direct the water on to the fire in such a way that the rest of the stock was not damaged was just the ordinary routine of a fireman's job.

Mr. Wilson showed the "Star" representative some of the latest equipment for reducing damage —a, salvage van which contains numbers of large tarpaulins for covering up valuable stock or furniture; sacks of sawdust, to prevent water from spreading along floors; a supply of mops and buckets for cleaning up after the fire is out; and small reducing nozzles for attaching to the big hoses when only a small amount of water is necessary. Of the housebreaking implements that are carried by the engines, the special English door-forcer is the most interesting. When it was inserted into one of the big doors at the Central Fire Station, and slight pressure put on the levering arm, the strain on the door was obvious. With the pressure that a couple of stalwart firemen could exert few doors could remain intact for long.