FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 8

FIRES.

OUTBREAK AT CHRISTCHURCH. AtARCE BUSINESS BLOCK ABLAZE. BRIGADE HAS A HARD TASK. * (By Teleerara.—Press A»soel»tlon.) Christchurch, March 28. ■;( •A' destructive .fire was discovered in ia large business block.in brick in.ManVshester • Street South, belonging to Messrs.- T. Bunting and Co., about midnight, on Sunday. '~ The ground- floor was occupied by I shops of various traders, and theupj»r portion by Messrs. Bunting and Company's brushmaking business. The Ifirm also occupied an extensive ranje (of buildings at the rear of the shops for manufacturing purposes, and in these premises was located a large •amount of' machinery and plant. -The fire-evidently originated at the 'rear! of the factory premises! but it is .'uncertain whether. upstairs or. downWire as by the time the brigade arrived this part of the .buildine waa a mass of flames. ' ■■' '.- . •-. For an hour the fire raged furiously in: different ;parts, of the building, .having, worked along the ceiling and' the -roof on the northern side. ' : Messrs. W. B. Scott and' Company's .motor-car depot was threatened, and on,the.southern.! side the : Trocadero' ■Private Hotel and a number of shops in its frontage. 7For a time it seemed likely that the £re would spread to the hotel in which there -were over 100 holiday guests, most of whom hurriedly packed their belongings, and a number' of the more portable articles of furniture were removed.

As heavy rain -was falling at the time these goods and those removed from the shops and from, Messrs: Bunting and Company's factory were considerably damaged. , ' .The 1 fire brigade . had the utmost difficulty in dealing with . the outbreak, and the flames .spread rapidly to both floors. The new highpressure water supply gave a plentiful but the contents of the shops and factory were highly mable. > By -1.15 a.m. the flames.were well under control. There is no cluo to the origin of the outbreak, as Messrs; Bunting.and Company's faotory had been closed since Thursday last. There were no steam Ifurnaoeß or boilers on the premises, jpower being supplied.by a suction gas | plant. The insurances as far as are at pre■sent are as follow:— . Messrs. Bunting and Company's /building, £2700 in the South British office; contents, £2700 in tne New (land- office, £1800 in, the Commercial' Wnion, £600 in the National, £425 in the Australian Alliance, £425 in the ■iXTttfted,' and',.£37s in the Standard. , Messrs. M'Phail and Fisher (occupiers of 1 one of the shops' in Bunting's buildings), £270/ in the National office.

SEVEN-ROOMED HOUSE , DESTROYED. Ashburton, March 28. A seven-roomed wooden house at Dorse, owned and occupied by Mr. William Morrow, with its contents, «as totally destroyed by fire early on Sunday:morning. The insuranoe is not yet ascertainable. [The Minimax' Hand v Fire Extinguisher has extinguished' thousands 'of actual' fires. Jt is indeed a friend in need—A. T. Bate, Nathan's Buildings, Wellington, is the agent.—Advt.]