FIRE DESTROYS BL’S ON TRIP

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28927, 22 June 1959, Page 12

FIRE DESTROYS BL’S ON TRIP

Passengers Escape Injury (Neto Zealana Press Association) HAMILTON, June 21. Five passengers escaped injury in the early hours of Saturday morning when a £6OOO Railways Road Services 26-seater coach was destroyed by fire just north of Half-way Hill and six miles from Hamilton, in the Te Rapa area Leaving Auckland at 3.15 a.m.. the bus had five bags of mail, several thousand newspapers, and ■ some parcel freight aboard as well as passengers. A back tyre blew out when it was approaching Te Rapa at 5.35 a.m. The driver (Mr L. de Pina, of Auckland), told Railways Road Services officials that he alighted from the vehicle to inspect the trouble. It is reported that when ihe had assembled the jack and i loosened off some of the wheel bolts in preparation for changing the wheel, the tyre burst into flames. Mr de Pina said he got the fire ! extinguisher from inside the bus i while the five remaining pasI sengers alighted I The Hamilton Fire Brigade I received a call bv telephone at 5.50 a.m and sent a machine. The Ngaruawahia Brigade was also summoned at 5.50 a.m.. but when the brigades arrived the bus was well alight. The passengers and Mr de Pina had managed to salvage some of i the papers and other freight and all the mails, but it is understood j that a quantity of parcels was lost.