AKAROA HOTEL RAZED: FOUR DIE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29712, 4 January 1962, Page 8

AKAROA HOTEL RAZED: FOUR DIE

18 Others Escape In Nick Of Time

Fire which engulfed the Hotel Metropole, in Lavaud street, Akaroa, with amazing swiftness about 1 a.m. yesterday razed the building, with the loss of four lives.

Eighteen others of the 22 persons asleep in the hotel escaped in night attire out of first-floor windows and down fire escapes in the nick of time before the whole building burst into an uncontrollable mass of flames.

So suddenly did the fire take hold that not one person could escape by a door, nor save a single article.

Had not the occupants been aroused by Mr A. J. Newsome, a temporary barman at the hotel, who clambered up the fire escapes and shouted and banged on windows when he returned to the hotel at 1 a.m. and found it ablaze, it is doubtful whether anyone inside would have got out, so quickly did the fire engulf the upper storey.

It is not known what caused the fire, nor in what part of the hotel it started. Investigations showed no suspicious circumstances, said Detective Chief Inspector Macdonald Brown, of the Christchurch C. 1.8., yesterday.

The remains of two adults and two children were recovered from the ruins of the fire before mid-day. They are believed to be those of:— Mrs Oretia Patricia Knowles, aged 32, a typist, of 28 Domain terrace, Christ-

church. Toni Francis Knowles, aged

14, son of Mrs Knowles Allan Kevin Knowles, aged 12, a son of Mrs Knowles Thomas James Crotty, aged 23, single, son of Mr C W Crotty, of Le Sons Bay. Mr Crotty was a permanent boarder at the hotel, and was a driver employed by an earthmoving contractor. Of the 18 others who escaped from the hotel, one woman guest suffered serious burns and several others minor burns and cuts from broken glass. The hotel staff who escaped were:— Mr B. P King, the licensee, and his wife. Mr R Bull, the chef Miss M Norten, a waitress Miss M. Trainor, a waitress. Miss N Johnston, a temporary waitress. The guests who escaped were:— Mrs O. Ennis, of Neville street. Christchurch, mother of Mrs O P Knowles Mrs I. M Gidge, of 48 Rutherford street, Christchurch, who was sent to the Burwood Hospital suffering from burns to the face, arms, and hands Her condition last evening was reported as fair Miss Barbara Dunn, aged 14 of Christchurch, a sister of Mrs B P. King, the licensee’s wife. Mr R. Oakes, of Christchurch. Mr and Mrs D H Bastemeyer. of Dunedin. Mr and Mrs L. Brocherie, of Dunedin. Mr and Mrs J Brocherie, of Dunedin. Mr and Mrs Scott, of Dunedin House Destroyed By the time the Akaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived. soon after 1.10 a.m in response to the wailing of the town’s fire-alarm siren, the fire was already taking nold of the holiday house of Mr and Mrs W G Deyell, of Christchurch, separated from the hotel by a narrow alley. Mr and Mrs Deyell, and a friend, Mrs C Hamilton, had already been awakened by shouts and screams from p c - sons in the burning hotel, and were just leaving as Fireman D Woodill rushed in to warn them. The Deyell’s house was soon completely ablaze, but the Akaroa brigade helped by the absence of wind, managed to prevent the fire spreading to other buildings By this time, a crowd of several hundred had gathered, attracted by the fire siren, the intense brightness of the blaze which lit up the whole penlre township, and the huge pal] of smoke rolling up The intense heat kept the crowd well back, but a number of onlookers helped the firemen to drag hoses into position At one stage, a slight breeze came up, and carried flames across Lavaud street to the courthouse opposite. Its walls were badly scorched, and its windows cracked and broken by the heat. Had the breeze kept up, there would have been danger of the courthouse being burned down, and the fire spreading up the valley along Balguerie street. But the breeze dropped, and the firemen contained the fire to the block bounded by Lavaud, Balguere, Jollie, and Croix streets. Alarm Given Mr Newsome, who was returning to the hotel about 1 a n ?.' was the first person to notice the fire He climbed up fire escapes, shouting and smashing windows to awaken the occupants on the first floor At one window Mr NewK?® foun £ Ennis - who had been trying to get into S® , of her Ashler. le J opposite, but found it locked Mrs Ennis was distraught, and with the rapidly, Mr to use force to bring her down the fire escape. He then tried to return to try to get out

two sons, asleep in a room on the north-east side of the hotel, but the heat and flames were now intense, and he in turn had to be forcibly restrained by four men from going back into the hotel.

At one stage, while trying to lower the bottom section of a fire escape, Mr Newsome was struck on the head, and suffered a bad cut. Meanwhile, Mr A. J. Bradley, manager of the Akaroa branch of the Bank of New Zealand, who was in bed in his house above the bank, and happened to be awake, heard a woman screaming, and looked out of his window to see the hotel on fire. “I saw a big surge of smoke and flame,” said Mr Bradley "The fire seemed to have a hold both upstairs and downstairs.” Mr Bradley immediately telephoned the Akaroa Post Office, where Mr W Shuttleworth. who was on duty, set off the town’s fire siren. At this stage, persons in the hotel had been awakened by Mr Newsome, and were getting out through windows, and down fire escapes. Some guests got out on to the front balcony of the hotel, from which they either jumped to safety, or made their way down part of the front fire escapes before jumping. Driven Back Mr King, the licensee, who was recently married, and has been in charge of the hotel only since November, was awoken about 1 a.m. by the noise of shouting, and windows being broken He woke his wife, rushed to the bedroom door and opened it, only to be driven back by smoke and flames “My husband and 1 rushed to the bedroom window, and got out on the fire escape,” said Mrs King “There was no time to put on the light. I could see flames and billows of smoke at the bedroom door “My husband pulled the fire escape down,’ Mrs King said. “I screamed out at my sister’s bedroom window I saw her appear at the window. I could see her room was on fire. I helped to pull her through the window on to the fire escape. I could see nothing else for the billows of smoke.” Another early arrival on the scene was Mr R. A. Levy, who lives in Balguerie street, near the hotel. He was awakened by the fire siren, and was outside the hotel within a minute “Fire was gushing out the front door and people were screaming and shouting and jumping from the balconies and fire escapes,” Mr Levy said. “The fire was burning most fiercely in the front of the hotel.” Mr Levy found Mrs Ennis wandering in front of the hotel in her nightgown and bare feet, dazed, and completely distraught Mr Levy’s wife, who had followed him, took Mrs Ennis back to her home where Mrs J. Prendergast. the Akaroa Plunket nurse, and later Dr. A. H. Stewart, of Akaroa, treated her for shock Couple’s Escape Mr Levy also found Mr and Mrs Bastemeyer, a Dutch couple, in a shocked condition, and also had them taken to his home. Mr and Mrs Bastemeyer, who occupied a bedroom looking on to the front balcony, had a narrow escape. Mr Bastemeyer was awakened by the heat, and saw smoke and flames billowing under the door. He woke his wife, and in their night attire they just had time to scramble through the window before the whole room caught fire Mrs Bastemeyer suffering a bad cut on the nose, and a cut hand, In the process. Mr Bastemeyer got partly down the fire escape and jumped the rest of the way on to the street. His wife, who is pregnant, then jumped from the fire escape into his arms. Mrs Bastemeyer was also treated for her injuries, and shock, at Mr Levy's home. Others who escaped from the fire also spent the rest of the night in the homes of Akaroa residents who took them in. Another who had a narrow escape from the fire was the hotel chef. Mr Bull. He was found outside clad only in a tea towel wrapped round his waist.

To treat the cuts and minor burns suffered by many of those who escaped from the fire, a casualty station was established at the Akaroa Hospital, where a doctor from Christchurch handled the cases sent in by Dr. Stewart, who stood by giving treatment at the fire. Other doctors from Christchurch on holiday at Akaroa also offered to give help. While the injured were being treated, the Akaroa firemen were making desperate efforts to prevent the fire spreading, realising that it was hopeless to concentrate on the hotel. At one stage, it seemed that the whole block in which the hotel was situated must take fire, but the Are was kept under control. Water from five leads was constantly played on adjacent buildings, including a butcher's shop on the opposite side of Lavaud street, next to the courthouse. At one stage, men had formed a chain to remove goods from a milk-bar and general store in an old wooden building on the corner of Lavaud and Balguerie next to the hotel, but this was stopped when it became clear that the fire had been contained. The wall of this building was scorched by the Intense heat. Smouldering Mass The hotel site yesterday morning was a smouldering mass of ruins, only the bases of the hotel chimneys being left standing. Water was played on the ruins until late in the morning, and after the police had recovered the remains of the two boys at 11.15 a.m., a bulldozer was brought to the site, and preparations made for clearing it. Hundreds of local residents and holiday-makers visited the scene throughout the morning and afternoon, looking at the ruins of the hotel and the adjoining house, watching police operations. and discussing news of the fire. To keep the area clear, the section of Lavaud street in front of the hotel block was closed to traffic.

Biggest Hotel In Akaroa The Hotel Metropole, a two-storeyed wooden building with roughcast exterior walls, was Akaroa’s biggest accommodation house, with room for 30 guests. The building, which was about 60 years old, was modernised only last year, when the roughcasting of the exterior walls was done, and the interior altered and refurnished. The hotel partitions were of wood, and the roof of iron. The hotel was owned by Mr A. B. Bryant, of Christchurch, and had been held on lease by the licensee, Mr B. P. King, since about November 12. The building was insured. About 28 guests were in the hotel on Monday night, but a number had booked out on Tuesday, leaving only 16 there on the night of the fire. A further 14 guests had been booked in to the hotel for last night. It is not known how many of these arrived in Akaroa yesterday, expecting their accommodation. No Call Yet For Inquiry (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, Jan. 3. It is not yet known whether there will be a special inquiry into the fire which destroyed the Hotel Metropole, Akaroa, early this morning. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Gotz), who is responsible for the control of fire services in the Dominion, is at present in Samoa, attending the independence celebrations. He is expected back in Wellington on Sunday, but will stay only briefly. No request for an inquiry has yet been received by the relevant Government authority. The Chief Fire Service Officer for New Zealand (Mr T. A. Varley) said tonight that the Fire Service Council was one of the bodies which could ask for a special inquiry. Whether this would be done would have to await full reports on the disaster. Mr Varley said that there would certainly be a coroner’s inquiry into the fire. All relevant circumstances would be brought out at this inquiry. If deficiencies in the equipment of the Akaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade or in the provision of fire escape routes on the hotel itself were factors, they would be discussed. The provision of facilities by the hotel, Mr Varley said, was the responsibility of the local licensing authority, which, assisted by the police, carried out an annual inspection