ORIGIN OF FIRE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28630, 5 July 1958, Page 12

ORIGIN OF FIRE

“No Suspicious Circumstances”

There were absolutely no suspicious circumstances in the origin of the fire at the Lodge, Hanmer Springs, said Superintendent D. R. Sugrue, of the Christchurch Police, yesterday afternoon.

“Constable A. V. Beattie, of Hanmer Springs, who is a reliable and experienced officer, has assured me after preliminary inquiries that the fire was known to have originated frbm a space heater in the staff quarters,” said Superintendent Sugrue. “He told me this after he had made an inspection in company with the superintender t of the Hanmer Springs Volunteer Fire Brigade (Mr F. Hazeldene).

“However, to make doubly certain, Detective-Sergeant W. E. Hollinshead, of the C. 1.8., will go to Hanmer Springs on Saturday morning to confer with Constable Beattie, and to make any further inquiries which may be considered necessary,” said Superintendent Sugrue. The manager of The Lodge (Mr A. Ibbotson) agreed that there were no suspicious circumstances. The space heater in the staff quarters, where the fire is said to have started, was not damaged when he saw it after the fire. The space heater has a three-foot metal chimney, and above that an asbestos chimney to the ceiling. Mr Ibbotson said he believed the fire had started in the ceiling around the chimney.