FIRE RISK CLAIMED

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30050, 7 February 1963, Page 18

FIRE RISK CLAIMED

Burning Paper From Furnace

Pieces of smouldering paper from the furnace chimney in St. Elmo Courts are causing Mr B. H. Nixon, a tenant in an adjoining house, grave concern.

“On numerous occasions I have found pieces of smouldering paper in the backyard and have also seen other burning fragments fall on to the roof,” he said, showing a reporter of “The Press” a pile of half-burnt documents.

The majority were statements from Shell Oil New Zealand, Ltd, which occupy a number of rooms in the St. Elmo building.

Mr Nixon’s flat—Which is in a house owned by the City Council and situated at 290 Montreal street—backs on to an old wood en building used as a store by the Post Office. Through a hole in the fence, Mir Nixon pointed to thick, tinder dry grass that is growing 2ft high, right up to the wooden walls of the store.

"If one of those bits of paper dropped amongst that,” he said, “we would have a very serious fire on our hands."

He also expressed concern that there were no fire escapes available for the three tenants who live upstairs in the council house. They too were worried about the fire hazard, he said. Many more documents from the Shell Company were also scattered over the footpath and in the gutters on the corner of Montreal street and Hereford street.

The Christchurch manager for the Shell Company (Mr G. A. Sanders) expressed concern when told that his firm’s documents were scattered around the street “There is a common dump for rubbish in the basement of the building and the caretaker fires the boiler with it” he said. “Apparently some of these papers have’got caught in the updraught in the chimney when only partly destroyed. I most certainly agree that they shouldn't be lying around,” Mr Sanders said.

The secretary of St. Elmo Courts, Ltd. (Mr T. E. Evans), had no comment to make. Mr Nixon has written to the Chief Fire Officer (Mr L. R. Osmond).