Flour mill fire in Ashburton

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32660, 16 July 1971, Page 1

Flour mill fire in Ashburton

Fire broke out in the kiln of Buchanans Flour Mills, Ltd, Ashburton, about 3 p.m. yesterday, causing damage which could run into thousands of dollars and hold up oat production at the mill for a week.

The mill is just across the main trunk railway line from the heart of the Ashburton shopping centre. The mill’s automatic sprinkler system came into use about the same time as the two brigade tenders arrived. The brigade was alerted by the mill’s director, Mr D. Buchanan, who was crossing the railway line about 75 yards away from the mill when he noticed that the ventilator of the kiln was giv-

ing off more smoke than usual. He telephoned the brigade immediately. Firemen brought four hoses to bear. Axes were used to break open a section of the asbestos sheeting exterior wall to gain access to the kiln structure itself.

It took the firemen, some of them wearing breathing apparatus, about an hour to get the fire under control and a further hour and a half to douse the smoking oats in the kiln.

Only three other mills in New Zealand—at Gore, Dunedin, and Timaru—mill oats. As well as producing oatbased breakfast cereals Buchanans mill produces flour from wheat, and poultry mash and stock feed from provender.