HOUSE TOTALLY DESTROYED

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23818, 11 December 1942, Page 4

HOUSE TOTALLY DESTROYED

* RICCARTON FIRE

E.F.S. ASSISTANCE TO

BRIGADE

Dense smoke nearly half a mile away from the burning house was met with by the Christchurch Fire Brigade when, at 9.11 p.m. yesterday, it answered a call to an old four-roomed house at 1 Pope street, Lower Riccarton. The young family of five children of the occupier, Mr William James Pattison, a railway employee, were removed safely from the house before Mr Pattison attempted unsuccessfully to retrieve the contents, which were not insured. By the time the brigade arrived, the house was past saving, and although two leads of hose were brought into action, the house was quickly destroyed. . It was a spectacular fire, witnessed by many hundreds, some attracted from as far away as the city. The fire was the first real test of the ability of the Riccarlon Emergency Fire Fighting Service, which had paraded earlier in Deans avenue, and 'had then gone to attend to a sawdust fire at the Butler Timber Company’s yard in Riccarton. As soon as the fire at the back of the Addington Saleyards. and close to the Addington Railway Workshops was reported, the E.F.S., numbering 18 members, and under the charge of Mr R. Sargeant. rushed to the scene. The E.F.S. had to run out 750 feet of hose from the sump at the workshops to the corner of Pope and Smith streets, and its water supply v. as available soon after the fire brigade was pumping water from the ditch at the corner of Lowe street, along nearly 1000 feet of hose. By the time the firemen had their hoses in play the fire was beyond control.

The house was situated in an area unrcticulated by a high-pressure water system. An officer of the fire brigade reported later that a good supply of water was available from the creek anJ also from the warkshons’ sump. A detachment from the E.F.S. in the city was also sent out to the fire, but their services were not required.