Tourists Had Lucky Escapes In Milford Sound Hostel Fire

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 February 1950, Page 7

Tourists Had Lucky Escapes In Milford Sound Hostel Fire

INVERCARGILL, February 15 (P.A.).—Only the sleeplessness of a woman visitor in the eastern or Bowen Falls wing kept the casualty rate in the Milford Sound hostel fire down to three. About 2.40 a.m. today this woman was walking along a corridor when she heard the crackle of flames. She looked for the source of the noise and saw smoke billowing from the door of the boiler room. She immediately gave the alarm. It was none too soon, for on opening their doors others were met by tongues of flame and had to make escape through the windows. Mr and Mrs L. A. Maag, two elderly American tourists, were fairly seriously burned about the face and head. Mr Maag lost all his hair. David Kerr, aged 40, a bus driver, of Dunedin, was burned on the shoulder and gashed a leg as he dived through a window. His condition is not serious. All three are now in the Invercargill Hospital. Dived Through Windows

Many of the occupants of the wing escaped only by diving head first the mosquito netting that covered the windows of their rooms, and had no time to save any personal belongings. Some of the tourists, including visitors from Australia and America, will have to outfit themselves completely. Within five minutes the east wing was ablaze from end to end. To try to save it or the adjacent post office and wireless station was obviously hopeless. The fire was fanned by the draught in the long corridors and, had there been any wind, little could have been done to save the other hostel buildings. The fight against.the fire continued for two hours before the flames were brought under control. “It was fortunate there were no deaths in the fire,” said the manager of the Milford Sound hostel (Mr N. Berndtson) in a message to Wellington this afternoon. "The staff and guests were splendid. “The main building was on fire and we had to pull away the verandah connecting it with the wing. This was done with a wire rope and a Railway Road Services bus.” Department’s Action The general manager (Mr L. J. •Schmitt) has sent a telegram expressing his own regret at the mishap and the sympathy of the Minister (Mr F. W. Doidge) and department for the guests who had suffered loss. Mr Schmitt has arranged for the resident Ministry of Works engineer at Invercargill (Mr H. W. Smith) to go to the hostel to give all possible help and report on replacement needs. The Tourist Department’s chief inspector (Mr W. Stevens) went from Wellington by air this afternoon and was expected to make the road journey through the Homer Tunnel at dawn tomorrow. He will stay to assist Mr Berndtson but the manager of the Te Anau Hotel (Mr T. Tiller) who is to go in with him, will return to Te Anau tomorrow and telephone a more detailed report to the department.