EXPLOSION IN CLUB

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 285, 2 December 1941, Page 5

EXPLOSION IN CLUB

FUMES OF KEROSENE

AN UNUSUAL OCCURENCE

(0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH, this day.

The explosion of kerosene fumes is believed to have been the cause' of a fire alarm in the Taranaki ClubJ New Plymouth. The flames burned! themselves out without the fire brigade having to take action. A small amount of woodwork was charred, but otherwise there was no damage.

The outbreak occurred when Mr. E. Whittle struck a match to investigate an unusual smell coming from a sink under a counter in the lounge. There was an immediate explosion with a sheet of flame, and liquid in the sink began burning fiercely. A tap was turned on, but because it had no effect and would have caused the fire to spread if the sink had overflowed, it was quickly turned off and the fire brigade was summoned.! Careful inquiry failed to disclose! the cause of the fire until thej steward of the club, Mr. A. Mundt, recalled an incident that had previ-l ously slipped his memory. Earlier in 1 the day he had been tidying up! bottles near the counter and, finding one half-full of what he supposed was stale lemonade, he emptied it into the sink. Apparently the plug was in the sink and when Mrs. Whittle ran off water to wash glasses the foreign liquid was still there. A search was made among the old bottles till Mr. Mundt recognised the one concerned. It was then found that it had contained kerosene:

Mr. L. Hartley, fire brigade super-; intendent, commented that he had: not before encountered an explosion of kerosene fumes. He had not been able to trace where the bottle came from, and he thought it possible that it had contained something else besides kerosene. Another theory was that in the enclosed space under the counter the fumes stirred up whem the glasses were washed mingled! with oxygen in just the right pro-j portion to constitute an explosive mixture. _ j