BASEMENT FIRE

Evening Star, Issue 19387, 22 October 1926, Page 6

BASEMENT FIRE

• BROWN, EWING, AND COMPANY'S PREMISES GOOD SAVE EFFECTED

What might have been' a fire with much more disastrous consequences occurred yesterday afternoon in the basement of tho premises in Princes street occupied by Messrs Brown, Ewing, and Co. A considerable amount of damage, was done to the stock by smoko, hut tho brigade prevented the outbreak from spreading, little damage to the building resulting. The brigade received its call at 1.40 p.m. by the May automatic alarm, and a machine was quickly on the seene._ A number of boxes were found -burning in a corner of tbe basement, and men and boys employed by the firm were using band extinguishers, and the brigade extinguished the lire by the firstaid pumping plant. The problem that presented itself was to rid the cellar of smoko, which was effocled by the commandeering of all Ihe available electric fans and the borrowing of others. Within a very short time tho fans blew the thick clouds of smoke away from the main portions of Ibc shopping promises, and there wore few in the shop «t the time who would be aware of what was going on below. The loss by fire will bo very small, hut tho manager of tho firm said this morning that'the _ whole building had heon permeated with smoko, and considerable damage to stock would result though its extent was not yet known. The insurances are held by almost every insurance office in tho city, hut, though these were not available this morning, it is understood that the stock and fixtures were insured lor about £70,000