ELDERLY PEOPLE SAVED FROM HOSPITAL FIRE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29001, 16 September 1959, Page 9

ELDERLY PEOPLE SAVED FROM HOSPITAL FIRE

(New Zealand Press Association)

DARGAVILLE, September 15. Twenty-four elderly patients had a miraculous escape when the main block of the 56-year-old Te Kopuru Hospital was destroyed by fire at 12.45 o’clock this morning. A special unit of the Northland Hospital Board, the wards are used exclusively for elderly and long-term patients from the Whangarei area. The fire is believed to have been caused by a defective chimney in Ward 2. i The hospital’s night staff worked frantically but thoroughly after the outbreak, and succeeded in wheeling all the patients from the 1 wards on to the surrounding lawns, where they were cared for by local residents and members of the Dargaville and Te Kopuru Fire Brigades. Later they were housed in the old isolation block, which has not been used for some time and which stands some distance away from the main block. Only a change of wind saved the nurses’ home. When the Te Kopuru Fire Brigade received the alarm at 12.45 a.m. flames were shooting through the roof. A call was also sent to the Dargaville Fire Brigade, which was quickly on the scene and, both brigades concentrated on containing the outbreak to the one building. Water was drawn from the 15,000-gallon tank in the hospital grounds and this proved just sufficient to prevent the flames reaching the adjacent nurses’ home. When the tank was empty the auxiliary unit of the Dargaville Fire Brigade drew additional supplies from the swimming pool of the Aratapu School, two miles away. The front of the old administration block burst into flame from the heat, but this was confined to the front of the building only. : “It was 10,000 miracles that the patients were got out safely,” said one eye-witness. “The heroism of the nursing staff was ‘magnificent. With that cool efficiency which is fundamental of 'good nursing, the staff with fortitude battled in the terrific heat to reach the patients and to get them out. Sometimes driven back by smoke they fought back until the last patient was removed from the building. “The sisters and nurses fought through the choking smoke,” said the male nurse, Mr Alan Rawns-

ley. “Nurse White, who was on night duty, was magnificent, as also were Sisters Fleming, Dysart and Kerr in the rescue work.” “And,” remarked a Te Kopuru resident, “Alan himself deserves a medal. He is being too modest. He, too, figured largely in the rescue work and worked like a trojan. He did wonderful work.” “When I saw it was the hospital, I started a prayer,” said a 12-year-old, “I felt sure God would answer and the patients would be saved.” “No words of praise could be too high for the work done by Mrs Mary Chick and her daughter Glenis, nor can adequate tribute be paid to Mrs Leila Tribbich who repeatedly entered the burning building td help carry out patients,” said another eye-wit-ness.

“There are some whose names will doubtless be overlooked but Alan Rawnsley was outstanding in the work he did.”

The glare was awe-inspiring, said a Dargaville resident. “As we approached Aratapu we had to put the car windshield visors down as we could not see. The scene at the hospital was terrifying.”