HOUSE, STORE FIRES

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32774, 26 November 1971, Page 2

HOUSE, STORE FIRES

Fire badly damaged a house occupied by a family of four at 76 Emmett Street, Shirley, early yesterday morning.

Firemen were called to another outbreak soon after, to a store in Gressons Lane in the centre of the city. The occupier of the house, Mr J. Halligan, roused his sleeping family—his wife, Shirley, son David, aged 11, and daughter, Lynn, aged 10 —when he awakened and

smelt smoke. The flames had almost reached the bedrooms. The seat of the fire was in

the laundry at the rear of the house. The blaze destroyed a big part of the dwelling, mostly at the rear, and left a large hole in the roof. About $lOOO worth of damage was done. The house is owned by the State Advances Corporation, and the contents were insured.

Two engines from the Harewood and Sockbum fire stations answered the alarm, which was raised at 3.18 a.m. Six minutes later a passing milkman raised the alarm for a fire in an unoccupied store in Gressons Lane, between the southern ends of Barbadoes and Madras streets. Seven appliances attended,!

but the building, believed to be about 80 years old, was gutted. It was owned by Domestic and Industrial Heating, Ltd. Part of the roof had already collapsed when firemen arrived. Eight hose lines were run from Barbadoes, Madras and Armagh streets, and the fire was brought under control by 3.40 a.m.

The Christchurch C. 1.8. is looking into the cause of the blaze.

A fire in the same building on July 12,1969, caused damage estimated at the time at $20,000. Three firms occupied the building then.