FIRE AT PETONE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 11

FIRE AT PETONE

HERETAUNGA CLUB'S HALL

Serious' damage was. done, to that, Her/etaunga Boating < Club's premises OJ3J the Petone Esplanade, last night,, whea^ an outbreak of fire.- occurred. Aftfiff having been suppressed it -broke ovtt again early this • morning, and cause additional damage.

The Petone Fire Brigade received the first call at 11.30 p.m., the- fire hay- , ing been noticed by .the driver and ' passengers of an Eastbourne bus.. It had'a good hold when the brigades arrived. Starting apparently on. the eastern side near the main doqr, the fire swept across the roof, aiiled by paper- streamers arid decoratiCKjiS, and worked down on the western si/ie.

The fire brigade had a hard,' task in suppressing . the flames,, but fire was soon under control.". Twp' I'eacis of hose, 600 feet in 1 all, were, used. It was. found necessary to i/e/moye the club/ trophies, and also a;; radio set, af ter\ this outbreak had p&kia. suppressed,- but other furniture ''yj is left, including a piano, a billiaijd table, and three table-tennis tallies. •

At 1.15 axa: Mr. W. J. ißall, of Wellington, who was driving| his car along the Esplanade, noticed,, that the fire had broken out again, add at once gave the alarm. The brigade was soon on the scene.again, with tiwo leads of hose. This time the fire wag' on the western side','and part of the?' roof had to be removed to get at it, " The damage is f/tf.tensive, and may result in the building being taken down! From the dy.tside nothing much is apparent, excepfc that all the windows are broken;- Taut inside the walls and lining on tJiie eastern side are charred, and rasters across-the main hall are damaged. The clubrooms on the western sidle escaped the first outbreak, but the ( ,'second apparently occurred somewliere in the kitchen, which'was nearly gutted. ' The premises were insured.