FIRE IN CITY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19671, 15 July 1929, Page 8

FIRE IN CITY.

BING, HARRIS, AND GO'S. STORE GUTTED. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £SOOO. | ' j Damage estimated at £SOC'O was done i last night to the warehouse of Messrs , Bing. Harris and Co., wholesale mer- ; chants. 6i LichtieM street. The store- | house aai the packing shed at the ; Kick, containing much stock, were gufed. • The building is a large one of three storeys at the front and two at the ; back. Soon after 10 o'clock smoke | was seea issuing from the windows at j the ead of the right-of-wi.y separating | the premises from those of Mason, j Struthers and Co., Ltd. Three engines under Superintendent . Warner were quickly on the scene, cne i lead of hose bleng run in from Lien- I field btreet and another from Tuam J street. The fire had gained a good j hold in the storehouse bdJ packing shed, ! which are right at the rear of the j building at the end of the right-of-way. Locks were quickly forced aud volumes I of black smoke poured out. A pungent. aromatic smell told that tobacco was burning. There was not much flame, but the fire was smouldering, and took a good deal of subduing. The packing shed was en the ground floor and contained goods ready to go oat this morning. The remains of j nearly everything a merchant tells were | littered on the floor, also dozens of tins [ of tobacco and cigarettes. The store-room above was stocked mostly with earpets and boots, an 1 those* which were not burned were j ruined by water. The firm will probably be heavy losers in boots and carpets, but they are somewhat fortunate in being lightly stocked ju»t now for j stocktaking. A lot of a«s* seasou » j goods are at the railway sheds waiting \ to be delivered, but fortunately only six packages had been brought in. I So far as is known the last man on j the premises was the head storeman, Mr J F. Leach, who locked up at 12.30 p.m. on Saturday. Some of the stock ia the front poition of the building may be damaged by smoke which went right through , the two top storeys. An extension lad- j der had to be run out and windows on the top storey broken to allow it to escape. The manager, Mr O. Cowie, estimates tne damage at £6OOO. The insurances on the buildings and stock are in the Sua office. I