FRUITLESS SEARCH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22569, 24 February 1948, Page 6

FRUITLESS SEARCH

| SMOKE BARRIER ! OFFICER’S ACTIONS | “GROPED LIKE BLIND MAN" (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH. Feb. 24. | Evidence was given for nearly four I hours yesterday by Third Officer James Thomas Burrows." who was in charge | of the brigade's operations in the first | stages of Ballantyne’s fire. When the commission adjourned until | today his examination in chief had not l been finished. I Witness said that as soon as he cn- | tcred the right-of-way he went down ion his hands and knees Bft. to I Oft. in ! from the pavement and crawled up Hie | right-of-way. He got down to feel his l way as in the black smoke he was like a blind man. i Impossible Without Respiratlor If Roger Ballantyne and Faikingham | were with him they could not have seen 1 him. Because the smoko was so thick j they could not have got up the alleyway without a respirator. Ballantyne (who said ho went up the right-of-way twice) could not have gone up with him. Officer Stevenson and Fireman Thompson had preceded him up the alleyway. They entered while he was at (he machine and Ballantyne could not have gone with them. He did not know he had to go across to a door before he reached the head of the cellar. He made no inquiries whether there was access to (he cellar from the ground or whether the cellar was connected in any way with an adjacent cellar. He was not concerned about finding a way into Iho cellar as Ballantyne said the doorway was on the right. Groped Way Along Wall Witness said he felt the right-hand wall until he went past two bicycles and he moved into the centre to avoid other obstacles. The door would not be visible in the smoke, but if there was a fire the glow could have been seen. Mr G. G. G. Watson, for the Crown: Could you see whether there was a door in the wall. Witness: No. “You realise that that means you cannot tell whether you had reached or passed the entrance to the cellar? — I realise that. “Were you really looking for the red glow when you went up the right-of-way?—Yes. “And vou were not looking for the access doors at all? —I was really making nn inspection to see the condition because Officer Stevenson. Fireman Thompson and Fireman Shaw were up the right-of-way. “What caused you to turn back?—l knew Officer Stevenson had two firemen with him and could deal with that part of tlie cellar. “Nothing caused you to come out?— No." Further Investigation Witness said his next move was to make a further investigation where another entrance could be found. An officer and two men were left in the alleyway when he left. lie did not then consider questions of access to the cellar from the inside stairway or the adjoining collar. He did not ask Ballantyne those questions. Mr Watson - As a fireman with 26 years’ experience would you have been concerned if you had known that there was an open stairway leading from the ground floor? Witness: Yes. “And an open way leading from this cellar to the adjoining one? —Yes. “They would have magnified the risk of rapid spread of the fire?—Yes. “But you must have known there must be access to the cellar for goods in a mercantile building?—lt did not occur to me that way.”