THE PETROL FIRE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19690, 6 August 1929, Page 13

THE PETROL FIRE.

fOftgIBILITIES OF SALVAGE. PIT* §l*l It IT STILL LNBUBNBD. f,lfr tit stiii ! ■ poll red en to the fr* i* »*•* *«"*>■ i»i ' ; I•- !•• street, H •••ii" I" '><* well under eonby turn There »* wt.ill. however, a for fire, ft w»« shown when an ittNßfpt was made yeaterday to remove tmf*x from the eastern aide, and p« *»fc» salvage operations caster. fIMMa hrllkt< out imroedUtelv, and Hjiiwarf * pi' 4of (.ricks to the foo(i>a' • ri.i fh. work hal to be libanffirrt- iv.-rv oiii.il! bursts of gaatit iin'l mi r or two minor explosions jM#lrr.l.i-. morning also. Tbf. u,u of hose are directed on it thu firail.) a concentrated effort |» o*iug m;i>!<■ In k<rp the Aamet from ||i« sent It witK'rii corner, where there |a s large iptiuitity of kerosene. The «ast*ru wall i« m danger of collapsing, ani if it <!••••« «-om« down it ia likely that th-rr will Im attother spectacular Wa* Ther.» are still thousands of «m«« of petrol untouched by the lire, §*4 they may yet be rescued. If, howseme of the big drum*) iu the of the building explode there •ill w? probably be a fresh outbreak la wfclea eaae all the unbnrned spirit Will be destroyed. TW ooateats of the store were inmirr tim the Royal Office for *BOOO. It ia believed that the ri»k was not refas ur*d with the other offices. the fire was visited yesterday morn "lag by Mr Butcher (Inspector of Ex•taetvea), who has rone down from Wellington,

SHED DESTROYED. FIRE AT ST. ALBANS. HI SPICIOLB CIRCUMSTANCES. • iplanation tan fx* given m to tk« origin of a fire which destroyed a w«hkl ami eoal shed on the property of Mr lilMlctoiifl Ward, rtl Bristol street, fit. Allien*. shortly after 11 o'clock last •v«alng, sad the clrcum statu- en loud to the theory that the outbreak U agala lb* work of inceiidiariata. Wlill* ik«r« la no dlreet e\ idotue to supf«rt thin idea, Mr Ward can advance a« iroaoa for the outbreak, a.i the shed hud not been approaehed by any mem Ur af the hou*-holri during tlir tivoiiHi*, and thara vim po tire or oh.i rie light MKI ta the shed. The ■mall build lag aad ita eoatenta, which included seta •< took, wcra destroyed, but the damaf** will be only about 118. Mr Ward stated to a reporter that he k**d heard a aoiao as of someone moving a!»m«t the |>Uio earlier In the evening, a»d called out to his daughter. He 4taail«aed the mat tar from his mind, fcowttrtr, and did not investigate. Tfcle ta aot th« flrat time that Mr War* lute heard unueeountable nwises ta hie yard, for three nights ago ho tnv tallica tt«d a mniilnr occurrence, •rated with a heavy poker, but dtacowred nothing atnisa. Tha a had, which ia of wood, adjoin* a Hv* fenre, and hud tha Are-engines from tka Central and Kt. Albans Station* not arrived promptly, there was » |M«wil>llity of the flames spreading fvwaa tkfa to the housa, a distance of Sf a few yurda. The alarm was m by Mlaa Harris, a daughter of tka neighbour, whose attention was attracted by the crackling mm! tha glare. Though of small extent, tka Ara was quite n apectacular ■mm, the Wane and smoke being visible §m • eaaalderable distance down PapaCfctef Detective J. Carroll, of the Central Police Station, was on the seene • few alastM after the arrival of the Brigade, and with an uanintant inspected Ike damage.

FIRE AT MAYOR'S HOUSE. CTTT COUNCIL'S SYMPATHY. At last might'* mating of the City CVhumsU th» Depoty Mayor (Or. H. T»J. Tkatk*r) moved that the City Council, m behalf of the citizen* of Christ•hutch, M«ord a vi.to of sympathy to •h* Mayor and Mrs J. K. Areher in MBMftoi with the recant destructive •ad ntalieiotia attack on their home. This waa «e< jaded by Cr. K. H. *S7i .*..... luftt remember a time when there had kooa no much sympathy from all elaaaM M oat the prvaent occasion. Cr. F, R. Cooke alto gave expression !• hi* disapprobation. ft *ll the moat

th * l con,d ha Ppen t0 a kiet n# l6ll l £* C^ie ' officer was the subwhLi, k* d **t»rdly and low act r ° U J ! t . (Un » er to people's lives' he "id. Evidently those guilty had no respect for lives or property Jr. A. L Fracr referred to the ineouvemeßcr caused to the Mayoress. The motion was carried unanimoush th ' * •wbsequently arrived « "rit rpa thy accorded them. ol ** m - A FALSE ALARM. The fire brigade were culled yesterday morning to a tailor', shop B C - lombo street, hetwwa Gloucester ami Armagh streets. Some rubbish which had been burnt in a grate, had beeu played outside before It was properly extinguished, and succeeded in igniting a sack. The smoke from this led gomeone to believe that a building waa on forthwith ttey eummoned the brigade

THREE SHOPS DAMAGED. ttnasa saaoctmoM t*l*obam.) CAMBRIDGE, August 5. fn the early hours of yesterday morning lire badly gutted two shops and a portion of a third in Victoria street. The three shops were under one roof of a wooden building, one erf the oldest in Cambridge. The fire had a good hold when discovered . It utartea in a shop occupied by W. Nan, fruiterer and confectioner, swept through the roof to the buck portions of W M. L«rkin, baker, and C. M. Crawford, outfitter. The two flrst-named shops, owned by L. H. Nixon of Cambridge, were badly gutted. The third, only partly burnt, was owned by Mrs Roberts, of Auckland. Concrete brick walls separating the adjoining premises prevented n more serious bla*e. The insurances 011 Nixon's shop* are £6OO in the National Office. The cover on Mrs Roberts's shop is not known. Larkin's stock and fitting* were insured for £2OO in the National fWFeo, and Nan's contents for £l5O in the Commercial ITnion Office. Crawford also was covered in the New Zealand Insurance Company's Office.

TOTALIBATOR HOUSE DESTROYED. (vaaaa assocutmw nxaa sak.) DARGAVILLE, August 5. Fire early on Sunday morning destroyed the totaliaator house of the Dargaville Racing Club at Awaknio Point, together with a quantity of plant belonging to the club and a quantity of Household furniture owned bv Mr A. Jf. Finch, temporarily stowed there. The brigade turned oat, birt as the building ia two mile* from town and out of the water supply area nothing could be done and the fire made a clean aweep. The insurance on the building ami plant i« £450, but that on the stored furniture ia not known. The Racing Club will be heavy losers as the building was a fairly substantial one. The orurin is a mystery as uo one had been in "the building for some weeks.