FIRES FROM FIREWORKS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30884, 18 October 1965, Page 14

FIRES FROM FIREWORKS

Calls Received By Brigade Children playing with fireworks are believed to have caused several fires during the week-end.

The Chief Fire Officer (Mr L. R. Osmond) said he was very concerned about the many calls the brigade had received so early before Guy Fawke’s Day to fires started by fireworks. He appealed to persons to use common sense, and strongly recommended that parents strictly supervise children with fireworks.

The matinee programme at the Barclay Theatre, Papanui, was interrupted for more than half an hour on Saturday afternoon after children playing with fireworks set fire to the wall of disused toilets at the rear of the building. The theatre was evacuated when the smoke was seen. Units from the St. Albans and Central stations answered a call received at 2.45 p.m. The programme was resumed at 3.25 p.m. The back door of the theatre was damaged by the fire.

Fireworks also set alight a tree on the side of Quinns road. The outbreak was extinguished by a unit from the Central station which was called at 3.1 p.m. Children playing with fireworks set fire to rubbish on the property of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association of Canterbury, Ltd., at the corner of Wairakei and Greers roads, at 10.13 a.m. on Saturday. The fire was put out by units from the Central and St. Albans stations.

The brigade earlier last week was called to several fires attributed to crackers.