HOW THE FIRE SPREAD

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 121, 27 November 1928, Page 10

HOW THE FIRE SPREAD

So rapidly did tho flames gain the ascendancy once the fire was under way that it was impossible for the fire brigade, when it arrived soon after 10 o'clock, to actually determine' the seat of the outbreak. Superintendent Crceke. believes the fire must nave started cither iv the basement of Thompson Bros.' building, where a quantity of inflammable goods were stored, or on the first floor, where a number of light wooden cases were stacked; but the real cause will probably never bo determined. Once on tho scone the brigadesmcii made an effort to confine the flames to Thompson Bros.-'-building, but this proved impossible, and a party of firefighters who had taken up a position on the second floor had to beat a retreat as the flames leapt towards them. Soon tho whole building was ablaze, the flames providing a grim but brilliant spectacle for the many thousands of people who had gathered in,the vicinity and to tho many hundreds of others who watched the conflagration from the surrounding hills. It soon became obvious that any chance of saving Thompson Bros.' building was out of the question, and the brigade concentrated on on effort to save the surrounding buildings, •which.were in grave danger. Calls for assistance wero sent to all the outlying fire brigade stations, Central's resources having been tapped to tho utmost, and before long, other engines and reinforcements of brigadesmcii arrived. Auxiliary firemen, members of the volunteer fire police, and a detachment of sailors from H.M.S. Dunedin were also brought in, and the battle against overpowering odds commenced in real earnest* For close on an hour the flames wore confined to the centre building where they had first taken -hold, but soon after 11 o'clock flames •.bursting from the upper story of a building in Wakefield street, occupied by. Teagle, Smith and Sons* indicated that the fire was spreading. Strenuous efforts on the part of the brigade prevented the flames reaching tho lower .portion of the building, but the flames wore not to bo beaten. Outdone in its efforts to reach Wakefield street, "the fire took a north-easterly turn, and .after skirting the rear portion of Laery, .Beveridge and Company's building at lithe corner of Wakefield street and -{Allen street, attaeked v the buildings facing ■ Allen street, owned by the [Wellington Fruit and Produce Exchange and occupied by various ten- i ants. Here tho fire raged at its worst, and despite the efforts of the brigade the buildings occupied by G. Thomas and Co., Brown Bros., and Geddes, and flther tenants were completely gutted. I 'Between Thomas and Co.'s premises ! and Rod's Building, facing Courtenay I place, there is an alleyway, and this checked the spread of tlio flames to ! some extent. But all Avas not over yet. From Allen street tho fire spread rapidly through the block of buildings to Blair street, defying the efforts of Superintendent Creeke and his men to cheek it, and before long it •had attacked the Open China Warelouse and the Tolan Printing Company's works, both of which wore completely gutted. By this time it was close to 2 o'clock, four hours since the brigade had received tho first alarm, and still (he flames were leaping menacingly and threatening further destruction. Gradually, however, the brigade attained tho upper hand, and ■by half-past two the fire appeared to "be under control, although by no jneans extinguished. In fact, at midday to-day there was still need for the presence of a number of brigadesmcii, as a quantity of tlio debris was still burning. DAMAGE DESCRIBED. To-day the scene of the fire was one cf desolation and destruction. Last night and early this morning it was impossible to gauge with any accuracy the extent of the damage, but in the light of day the havoc which the fire had caused was only too apparent. Where jfine buildings stood yesterday only shells 'stand to-day. Thompson Bros.' building has been completely gutted, and .all that remains are the concrete walls, twisted girders, and it mass of almost indistinguishable debris, scattered iv all directions over the floor. Large Quantities 'of fruit and vegetables which were, to be sold at auction this morning were in the building, but only the charred remains are to be seen It is impossible to make an accurate estimate of the loss, but it anust be very heavy. Thompson Bros.' i maiding extended from Allen street to i Blair street, and tho whole has been I

hopelessly destroyed. The premises occupied by tho Open Warehouse were a scene of chaos this .morning, and the 'floor was littered with broken crockery, shattered into fragment's. It was not until nearly 1 o'clock that the Open Warehouse caught alight, but once the flames reached it it was only a matter of moments before it was completely gutted. Not very long before the proprietors had been in tho building discussing the possibilities of its being | saved. The Tolan Printing 'Works, which were situated abovo tho Open Warehouse, wero also completely destroyed, tho flames making short work of them. Much valuable machinery and plant was destroyed. Tho premises occupied by Toop and Neilson were also completely destroyed. It was possible this morning to gain some idea of tho damage which resulted to the warehouse" of G. Thomas and Co., facing Allen street. Tho firm occupied two floors, and these were stocked with all manner of goods, many of them stored in anticipation of the Christmas trade, but onco tho fire took hold there was no chance of saving anything. Prime hams and other goods sizzled in the flames, and added to their ferocity. Much valuable confectionery was also eaten up by tho flames. Offices and stores in the.basement of the Exchange Buildings were damaged more or less severely, either by fire or water. The buildings facing. Wakefield street, did not escape, and all received somo damage. The warehouse of Teagle, Smith, and Sons was tho greatest sufferer, for it was here that the flam.cs/ first burst through from the centre of the block. The upper stories of the building were completely gutted and much valuable stack, including motor accessories and so on, was completely destroyed. The premises occupied by Burbidge and Co. on the corner of Wakofield street and Blair street were slightly damaged by water, but tho occupants of ono or two of the upstairs rooms were less fortunate. W. H. Dray, a clothing manufacturer, who occupies rooms in the upstairs portion of Burbidgo's building, stated this morning that the damage to stock and fittings as a result of water and smoke would amount to between £500 and £600. Fortunately ho was well covered by insurance. A GRIM BATTLE. Members of the Fire Brigade and those called in to assist them spent a most arduous night. Their task was an impossible one from the start, owing to tho rapidity with which the flames spread and the difficulty experienced in getting at the seat of the outbreak, but they kept at it unceasingly. With tho exception of five men, who were kept standing by in case of emergency, every available member of the brigade was on duty. From 10 o 'clock last night until well on to 4 o 'clock this morning they remained at their post, and even then it was not possible for all of them to get a well-earned rest, for although the' flames wero well under control they were by no means extinguished. A number of men were kept on duty throughout tho day watching for fresh outbreaks, which occurred periodically and wero promptly dealt with. Today the flames wero mainly confined to. debris. The brigade won tho praise of the-onlookers last night and this morning for the thorough manner in which they tackled their job. The opinion was generally expressed' that Superintendent Creeke and his men did all that was humanly possible to deal with the outbreak and that their work undoubtedly saved other buildings in the vicinity from total destruction. THE WATEE SUPPLY. Superintendnet Creeke, speakiug to a "Post" reporter this morning, said that there was no doubt that tho fire, the origin of which is unknown, started in Messrs. Thompson Bros., Ltd., Blair street, but whether in the basement or in the ground floor could not be accurately determined when the brigade arrived, as ,tho fire had already a good hold. Below tho ground thero was a bonded store extending beneath the whole of the auction mart, full of goods to a large extent inflammable. The fire was still burning there at midday, though there was from five to six feet of water there, the burning continuing in the goods or cases between the ground floor and the water. The fire evidently started near the stairs and lift, up which it spread so rapidly that a party of firemen working on the second floor had to beat a retreat. "I have no complaint to make regarding the water supply," said Superintendent Creeke. "I believe that complaints wero made by some of the onlookers that there was insufficient pressure, but this is not tho case. The J

mains were suflicient to cope with the (ire, but the lire spread so rapidly that it, got. head of us. It was not. an ordinary fire, and (he drain on the mains, as each additional lead »vas brought in, caused the stream from the hoses to fall temporarily, thus perhaps giving the crowd the impression (hat tin.pressure was going off, but when we put on tho pumps, the pressure went, up again to a satisfactory gauge. Wr had every pump going, five pumps at work at once, and we had every man out but. live—l 3 men in all. Wo brought (lie water from Courtenay place and Wakefield street, and we hail sixteen leads on to the lire. I would like lo Ihanltho sailors from ILM.fci. Dunedin who so willingly assisted, the auxiliary liremou, and the lirel police, all of whom did good work. Superintendent Creeke aud a number of the members of the brigade, though they hud had no rest lo speak of, were in and about tho still burning block this morning, studying the problem of making it safe and completely extinguishing the smouldering debris. An unusual operation was carried out by the brigade while the lire was at its height last night. The eighty-foot extension ladder was erected, and two firemen were ou it, one at tho top directing the flow inside the burning block, and the other looking after the hose, when flames pouring out of a window trapped the men above. The ladder was moved away with the men on it, this being the only way of getting them out. This is the lirst time this manoeuvre, which would only be resorted to in cases of grave danger, has been executed in Wellington. COPING WITH THE CROWD. The fire broke out last night just as people were streaming from (lie theatres, and naturally large crowds gathered in tho streets to watch what -prov|ed to be one of the finest spectacles ever seen in Wellington. Generally, tho crowd was well behaved,.and thero was uo serious interference with the work of the fire-fighters, an ef'ticient band of policemen seeing to it that onlookers stood well back. High buildings in tho vicinity of the lire were iv great demand, and in many instances the roofs of these wero crowded with spectators. The -Uamcs illuminated the sky for miles around, and occupants of houses on the hills around tho city spent a great part of the night in watching them. This morning, too, thero was a large crowd of sight-seers in Blair, Allen, and Wakefield streets, and a force of policemen was necessary to maintain order and keep tho people back. I FIREMEN INJURED. ! The firemen had several narrow cs- I capes, and there wero several minor in- |

juries. . Auxiliary Fireman Creeke, son of Ihe Supcrin.endent, had the tendons of the back of his hand cut by falling glass, and was taken to the hospital by tho city ambulance. The tendons are partly severed, and will have to be drawn together. Mr. S. Jones, of SO, Taranaki street, was also injured by tailing glass. It is interesting to recall that about three years ago a fire occurred in ihe same block of buildings as those affected last night, and at that time considerable damage resulted.