EARLY MORNING FIRE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 122, 18 February 1944, Page 3

EARLY MORNING FIRE

Hostel’s Cafeteria Destroyed

About 50 girls had an unenviable experience in the early hours of yesterday morning when they had to vacate their dormitory at the hostel, Hawkins Street, Woburn, because o£ fire. Flamew gutted an adjacent large two-story wooden building used as a cafeteria and lounge and blistered the paint on the walls of the dormitory only 15ft. away. The girls m the dormitory were not awakened b.v the fire in the other building till it bad got a good hold. . Flumes were seen coming through the roof of the building about 15 minutes before the alarm was given, but at that stage it was believed that the brigade had been, called. The roof had already fallen in when the firemen arrived, but the flames were prevented from reaching the dormitory. Much of tlie kitchen survived the fire. There are about 300 girls in the hostel, and due to previous instruction in the action they should take in tlie evontof an emergency they withdrew from the dormitory in orderly fashion. Most of them were in night: attire and carried all sorts of personal belongings to the safety of the street. ,