Shop Gutted By Fire In Main Street Of Kumara

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 February 1950, Page 4

Shop Gutted By Fire In Main Street Of Kumara

Kumara’s most modern shop premises, occupied by Mr V. J. Louden, were gutted by fire shortly before midnight last night. The Kumara Fire Brigade made an excellent save of the outside shell of the building but the interior was almost burnt out and the stock suffered severely from the fire and the water used to fight the flames. The shop, in which Mr Louden conducted the business of a grocer, greengrocer and confectioner, is situated on Seddon street, just west of the section left vacant by the burning of the Memorial Hall in 1944. It is a comparatively new building, having been erected by the owner, Mr G. Pamment, formerly of Kumara, but now of Ashburton. Mr Louden holds a lease.

The origin of the fire is not known. Mr Louden locked up the shop about 10 p.m. An hour and a-half later, Mi- S. Case, who lives on the premises of his shop on the opposite side of the street, was awakened by noise and saw that the fire had a strong hold in Mr Louden’s shop. Mr Case gave the alarm at the fire station, which is only one section away from Mr Louden’s shop and the brigade . was quickly on the scene. Pumping water from a nearby sump, the brigade had the fire well under control inside half an hour, but not before it had gutted the interior of the Vfooden building. Stock which escaped the flames was damaged by water but the roof and most of the exterior walls of the building remained intact. Details of the insurance held by the owner of the building, Mr Pamment, are not known, but Mr Louden has a cover on the contents, in the London and Liverpool and Globe office.