Lack Of Water To Fight Barn Fire

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31317, 13 March 1967, Page 1

Lack Of Water To Fight Barn Fire

Firemen were hampered by a lack of water in fighting a spectacular fire which destroyed a large bam filled with hay at the show grounds at Addington last evening.

The value of the damage could not be ascertained last evening but it was estimated to be many hundreds of pounds. The 80ft by 40ft corrugated iron barn at the rear of the show grounds contained 3000 bales of straw and 500 bales of hay.

The flames spread rapidly through the dry hay and when the sides and roof of the building collapsed, leapt high in the air. The blaze was difficult to extinguish and firemen were still at the scene late last evening. Spotlight! were rigged to assist the firemen. Dense clouds of black smoke were carried by the wind as far as Sockbum. Two units from the Central station and one from the Sydenham station answered the call. Only a 3in main' has been installed at the back of the show grounds where the bam was..

The water supply and pressure from the main made it difficult for the firemen to fight the fire in the early stages. Hoses had to be run from the Addington Raceway, Matipo street, the railway yards and from some distance away in the show grounds. The lead from the railway yards had to be taken under

l the lines before it could reach the show grounds. Some of the spectators were critical of the lack of an easily accessible high-pres-sure water supply. The show grounds is served by a 4in main but it goes only as far as the grandstand. The cause of the fire is not known. A detective was on the scene soon after the alarm was given at 6.43 p.m. and he scrutinised those who were watching the blaze. The ground manager, Mr I. Doak, said the fire could have been caused by boys. Last week-end boys had broken into the barn and efforts were made to secure it. “We thought it had been made boy-proof but only this morning a member of the staff had to chase some boys away,” he said.

After the main grandstand at the Addington trotting grounds was destroyed by fire in November, 1961, there was criticism about the adequacy of the water supply. A member of the Christchurch Fire

Board suggested at the time that the Minister of Internal Affairs should be asked to set up a board of inquiry. Only a few days later, on November 19, fire swept through the first floor of a two-storey concrete building in the show grounds. In a report on this fire the chairman of the Fire Board, Mr W. R. Campbell, suggested that the occupants ft the trotting grounds and the show grounds examine the supply of water. The area is on the outskirts of the Christchurch City Council and the Waimairi County Council’s water supply.