FIRE OUTBREAKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 February 1940, Page 7

FIRE OUTBREAKS

CHCH. GROCERY STORE

ESTIMATED DAMAGE £20,000

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

CHRISTCHURCH, February 22.

Damage which, according to an estimate last night, amounted to more than £20,000 was caused in a fire which broke out in Kincaid’s, Ltd., grocers, in Colombo Street, near the intersection of High Street,, between 12.30 and 1 a.m. to-day. All the resources of the city fire brigades were called to the fire, which had to be attacked under considerable difficulties from several angles. In less than half an hour a three-storeyed bulk store and the upper floor and .rear of the four-storeyed shop was destroyed. There were sjx engines at the scene and 30 firemen. The fire spread with remarkable speed. A representative of “The Press” who was in Cathedral Square shortly after midnight saw no signs of a blaze, yet in half an hour sparks were falling in Cathedral Square. Dense volumes of black smoke, borne on a slight south-west wind, poured over the stone coping on the Colombo street frontage and a fireman, wljo had been working from the extension ladder.had to retire for a time. Points of vantage taken up by the huge crowd which soon gathered were at the right-of-way alongside the premises of McKenzie and Willis in Hereford Street, and in Cashel Street, Whitcombe and Tombs’ right-of-way. At 12.40 a.m. several huge bursts of flame shot into the sky, indicating the ignition of inflammable stocks.' With several leads of hose working the firemen then burst in the front doors of the shop, taking in further leads.

The managing director of the firm (Mr. A. E. Kincaid) said last night after inspecting the fire that most of the bulk stores, insured for the greater part of £18,900, would be lost, and the damage to the building itself would be* considerable. He did not know the amount of the insurances on the building or other details, but the building, he believed, was valued at The shop front and shop premises would probably escape serious damage, and it was expected that business would be carried on in the morning as usual in spite of the serious loss. Leads were run into the centre of the block from right-of-ways off Cashel and Hereford Streets, after iron gates had been broken open, through the ground floor of Kincaids from Colombo Street and over the roof of the building. By about 1 a.m. the strenuous efforts of five machines were having an appreciable effect. As the fire lessened in intensity police and firemen searched neighbouring buildings. Sparks and burning embers were carried high into the air by the light south-west wind. Because of the brick walls of Kincaids no serious danger to other buildings was anticipated by the firemen apart from the danger caused by flying sparks.

PUBLIC WORKS STORE.

WAIROA, February 22

The Public Works Department store at Wairoa caught fire last, evening, and a large portion.of it was destroyed, The damage is estimated at many thousands of' pounds. Only the fine efforts of the Wairoa volunteer brigade and helpers prevented greater loss.

Stored in the building were five large transformers for the Waikaremoana hydro works, valued at about £5OOO each, and these were saved. The outbreak lasted over two hours, and a large stock of equipment went up in flames, together with half of the building, which was about 100 feet square.

The brigade concentrated on saving that portion of the building housing the transformers and other valuable gear. The rest of the building collapsed and was still smouldering this morning.

CIRCUS FIRE.

NEW YORK, February 21

At Rochester, Indiana, 350 hay-eat-ing animals, including 25 elephants, were freed, and ran loose in the city to-night, when a 200,000 dollar fire destroyed a circus. The Winter quarters and all caged animals were burnt.