FIRE GUTS FRUIT SHOP

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31304, 25 February 1967, Page 14

FIRE GUTS FRUIT SHOP

Fire gutted a fruit, grocery and .confectionery shop on the corner of Montreal street and Moorhouse avenue last night.

The proprietress, Mrs D. E. Climie, was in bed in the four-room living * quarters attached to the shop when the fire broke out. She escaped without injury.

“I could hear sounds of crackling. I got out of bed and the hall was full of smoke and flames,” Mrs Climie said. “I tried to get to the telephone, but the flames were too fierce. I got out the back door—a wall of flames seemed to chase me. I got the back gate open somehow and screamed. A passer-by helped and he told me a taxi-driver had already radio-telephoned for the fire brigade to be called.”

Mr Climie, a well-known boxing administrator, had left the shop at 8.25 p.m. He was telephoned about the fire at a meeting. The fire brigade was called at 9.56 p.m. and firemen on two machines from the Headquarters station quickly had the blaze under control using two hoses from high pressure hydrants. The fire gutted the shop and living-room, destroying a television set, and hundreds of pounds worth of stock, more than £2OO worth of clothing, furniture and bedding. “I would estimate the loss at more than £2OOO, and about half would be covered by insurance,” Mr Climie said. He said that he and his wife had run the shop for 16 years. A tyre store, belonging to Herons Tyre Service, Ltd., which occupies the northern half of the single-storey, wooden building, with slate roof, was also damaged by the fire.

New and reconditioned tyres in the store were damaged. The building is owned by Archibalds Garage, Ltd., and is insured. Herons tyrecuring factory, in the same block, was gutted by fire some months ago.

A man was treated at the Christchurch Hospital after he had been overcome by smoke from a small Are in a house at 506 Moorhouse avenue last night The alarm was given at 10.51 p.m. and firemen from Sydenham and Headquarters station soon had the fire out. The single-storey, old house, is occupied by Mrs P. Adamson. Mr C. Stewart was taken to hospital in a St John ambulance from the house but was discharged after treatment for minor ill effects from smoke. The police were called to the house and made inquiries.