House Set On Fire

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 4

House Set On Fire

Firemen from Harewood and headquarters raced to a fire in a house at 346 Harewood Road at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday. In short time they had the fire, which had spread through the building, under control. What the fireman did not know was that the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board’s deputy chief fire officers (Mr B. F. Hyland) had lit the fire. Suspicions were roused at the headquarters station when some of the staff saw Mr Hyland leave in the squad car with cans of petrol and masses of paper in the back. Everybody was on their toes and when a woman rang and said there was a fire in her neighbour’s house the turn-out was efficient. Mr Hyland said afterwards that the practical exercise was better than any other type of training the firemen could be given. The house belonged to Mr N. R. Turner who gave it to the brigade to use in the exercise. It had to be demolished to make way for a new housing development. Only the Chief Fire Officer (Mr F. A. Hardy), Mr Hyland and Mr Turner knew what was to happen, although local residents had received a type of warning. After the first Are in the house had been extinguished, several other fires were lit to give the firemen more practical experience. v