FACTORY BURNED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 68, 21 March 1934, Page 8

FACTORY BURNED.

BITUMEN BLAZE AT MT. EDEN. FLAMES SPREAD RAPIDLY. The ignition of a vat of weed-killing preparation which boiled over while being heated on a gas flame yesterday afternoon set fire to a building in the yard of the Mount Eden railway station occupied by Road Supplies, Ltd. The building, which was of corrugated iron on a wooden framework, was gutted, and the machinery damaged.

So rapidly did the flames spread among the bitumen and other inflamrpa'ihj contents of the building that the employees had barely time to escape, and lost all their personal belongings, including some clothes. Two machines of the Central Brigade and one from Mount Eden attended, but as little could be done to save the main part of the building, the brigades concentrated first on the boiler house, which was little damaged.

The building, which was owned toy «7. J. Craig, Ltd., was insured in the London and Lancashire office for £300, and the plant and stock in the New Zealand office for £1000. „ TWO BUILDINGS DAMAGED. Starting in some grass and rubbish in an adjacent yard, flre damaged two wood and iron buildings at the foot of Parnell Rise yesterday afternoon. Parts of the interior and the facade of a two-storeyed building used as a garage and office by the Rotorua Motor Transport Company wore burned, while an unoccupied sinfflestoreyed building next door was gutted. Mr. J. Fleming, local manager of tlie Rotorua Motor Transport Company, and his staff remo\ed a» large truck and a sedan car which were parked in the garage and also some of the goods awaiting transport, but a trailer and a small quantity of goods had to be left. By the time the Parnell and City Brigades arrived the fire had a good hold of the buildings, but it was under control within half an hour.