SPECTACULAR FIRE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 58, 10 March 1938, Page 11

SPECTACULAR FIRE

SUNDAY SCHOOL DESTROYED

DAMAGE AMOUNTS TO £3000

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

MASTERTON, This Day.

Fire yesterday afternoon completely destroyed Knox Church Sunday School, a large wooden building in Worksop Road, and did considerable damage to the roof of the adjoining brick primary department The fire was one of the most,spectacular seen in Masterton in recent years. The damage is estimated at about £3000.

The fire is thought to have been caused by a blowlamp which was being used by a1 painter in burning off the old paint. The outbreak appar-. ently took root in the flooring at the rear of the building, and within an incredibly short: time the flames had eaten into the tinder-dry totara timber, of which the building was constructed. When the Fire Brigade, in charge of Superintendent T. B. Clark, arrived at 2.14 p.m. the fire had a strong hold. When it was at its peak the heat was terrific. Once the fate of the Sunday School building was sealed the brigade turned its attention to saving the new brick Bible class building adjacent to-the Sunday school. Although the flames swept over the Bible class building'and at.times it was completely obscured by. smoke, it escaped with minor damage, A sudden slight change in the wind veered the flames towards the primary department, a brick building with a wooden roof. In spite of the efforts of the brigade, which was supplied with a good volume of water, the fire took hold in the roof of the primary department, and before the flames could be subdued a considerable part of the roof was damaged. Good work by v volunteers resulted in the contents of the primary department being removed to a place of safety. Evidence of the terrific heat was shown by the'fact that tyres of bicycles parked almost 50 yards from the burning building caught alight. Also a number of spectators had their hats burnt by fragments of falling cinders. Fireman S. Brannigan was overcome by heat and smoke,* and was taken to hospital. His condition is reported,to be satisfactory. Another fireman had a narrow escape from serious injury when a sheet of flying iron missed him by inches.

The Sunday school building jvas insured for £1500 and the contents for £160, while the primary department was also covered-by £1500.