SUDDEN OUTBREAK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 70, 19 September 1941, Page 6

SUDDEN OUTBREAK

PROBLEM FOR FIRE

BRIGADES

A HEAVY LOSS

A fire that illuminated the town so that small print could be read half a mile away destroyed the Petone factory of the Empire Printing and Box Manufacturing Company last night. At 11 o'clock the superintendent of the Petone Fire Brigade, Mr. J. P. Gaynor, who lives opposite, passed the factory, but saw no sign of fire. At 11.45 when the.alarm was given, flames were pouring through the roof and the whole interior was ablaze.

The factory, reached by a right-of-way from Cuba Street, covered an area of 240 feet by 120 feet, and was enclosed by three concrete walls and a temporary front wall, on the west, of galvanised iron. It gave the firefighters a most difficult problem. On the north it is bounded by a row of houses facing Emerson Street, on the east by an empty but very rough section owned by the Defence Department, and on the south by another row of houses facing Heretaunga Street, and the only entrance from the west is a narrow right-of-way between other houses. Except by ladders on to the roof there was no approach to the fire other than the west side. The difficulty was increased by a glass roof which continued to fall during the fire-fighting operations. When the serious nature of the. outbreak was realised a call was put through to the Lower Hutt brigade, shortly after 12 o'clock, and it at once responded. The Lower Hutt brigade had already been called by the telephone exchange on account of the glare in the sky and one engine was already out to locate the outbreak when the official call came.

PLENTY OF WATER,

The Petone brigade rapidly got to work. A lead was put through private premises from Cuba Street, and two others also through private premises, from Emerson Street. Two trailer pumps were put into action and there was no lack of water or pressure. When the Lower Hutt Brigade arrived it promptly tackled the problem also, with a trailer /pump from William Street on the east, but it was a difficult one owing to the boggy nature of the, section to be traversed and also because the men were faced with blank concrete walls which had to be watched in case they cracked and fell.

The nature of the contents made the fire especially difficult to handle. Huge stacks of cardboard reaching almost to the roof were alight and it was almost impossible to reach the centres of the stacks with water; there was also the danger of the men being injured by the falling stacks as they were undermined then. There was a large stock of wax arid this, blazing as it flowed, increased the risks.

The close proximity of houses added to the danger. One house stood only a few yards away and a larg^ quantity of its contents was removed to a neighbour's premises.

Owing to the enormous quantity of water pumped into the premises the building was unapproachable this morning; the front yard as well* as the floor being 18 inches under, water.

Part of the machinery damaged is a plant valued at £1000 which had just been installed to supply a new iridus-

The origin of the fire has not yet been ascertained. Some of the employees were at work till 8.30 p.m. and when they left all gas connections were cut off and everything was left in good order.

The works employed 37 women and 17 men.

The firm will be a heavy loser but any attempt to arrive at an accurate estimate- will be impossible until a close examination is made. It is hoped that some of the stock at least will be still usable. The premises contained about £20,000 worth of machinery and £25,000 worth of stock, so that the total value, including the building, is about £60,000.

No details as to insurance are available.