SERIOUS FIRE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 69, 15 December 1919, Page 12

SERIOUS FIRE

AT GOVERNMENT FIREWOOD DEPOT CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE A fire broke out early yesterday morning in the Government Firewood .Depot Davis Street, and did enough damage to interfere seriously with an important scheme for tlw supply of fuel to Wellington people. It started at tho southern end of tho m'll, and had a good hold liet'ore it was <Siscove.red. The tcsses included tho engine, the saws and Lenches, a motor deliver truck, and twenty or thirty cords of cut wood. About a thousand cords of yood stored in the yard lad a narrow tecapfl. T'ho outbreak was discovered after 6 o'clock in the moniin:*, and it had thei. ■1 "ood hold. The Thorudon Fire Br"a<?e reached the yatil como time later «nd assisted to save tho stacked woxl. The origin of tho fire is not known. The (iTiace of the engine was drawn at 1 a.m. on Saturday, and the mill was thoroughly hosed down before 'he stall left at midday on Saturday. The fire started more "than twelve hours later 'I'hevo was no nightwe.'tchniau m Hie vard. The. stock of fi'.rwood was insured 'n the Government Office for <£1008. lint the plant was not itsnred. The fire occurred nics-t 'cwpnrtunely from the point of view of th> W.lhigUm public. The man asm- of the depot has ■>cciiiiiu!al'cd a I,: '* of lirst-e.ass firewood, and had practicliUy ciwplcteo arran""nients for de'ivoiy HwuthouHn* Hlv on the bloc'- system. The detail?' 1 'innounceinen!' was been made this week. TV Otf-* bad asro?d <o rece've ord"''-- at its . o'Ves .in the citv and =nVirte. e'xt d^ivene= m-0,.-, f»,' "\ !••• V'VlcmS areas in accordance with a d-:fi'it> yea. '■ l,« sch'emo >n?nrt that V tk -rst time •rr.-d firewood, inelud.'ig "V"rp, 'rata, nn<t bii'ch. wouM p'ao&O within the r«icli of all Wellington ptonle and it woukl have assisted inati'rinliy to overcome the t'iffic-" -les ansin» from the coal shortage. Tho operation of the schemo will have to be suspended now until after Hv- holidays Tho circumstances of the fir? are not free from a snsnicion of incendiarism.