FIRE IN STABLES AT YALDHURST

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26670, 3 March 1952, Page 6

FIRE IN STABLES AT YALDHURST

HALF OF BUILDING DESTROYED About half the trotting stables and a building occupied by stablehands were destroyed by fire on the property of Mr Allan Holmes at Yaldhurst last evening. No horses were lost The outbreak in the stable-hands’ building was noticed about 7.45 pm by a neighbour, Mr KzGuy, who immediately Opened the stables to free the horses ,and then raised the alarm. Hu Whries. of the Yaldhurst Hotel, organised assistance, and the Imperial Cricket Club’s team, which was passing, also offered help. The workers’ building was quickly &° yed >A et saeks were, put%n the stables, which seemed unlikely to suffer more than blistering, but the wind changed, and the L-shaped budd T 8 ’ Wlth arms about 120 ft and 140 ft long, caught alight. Fire tenders from the Royal New Zealand'Ain Force station at Wigram, the Paparua County Council, and the freezing works at Islington arrived In time to save most of one arm, running parallel to the main West Coast road. Many helpers cleared harness and sacks of feed from the stables. For a time it was feared that sparks would spread to surrounding trees and to the main dwelling. Mr and Mrs Holmes are in Aus-

Two horses were in loose boxes at and others were in the yard. After the fire had been checked in about an hour they were caught.