LYTTELTON EXPLOSION

Grey River Argus, 16 August 1937, Page 6

LYTTELTON EXPLOSION

OIL TANK ABLAZE At Vacuum Co. Plant GREAT ALARM CAUSED. > IPer Press Association]. CHRISTCHURCH, August 14. A terrific explosion occurred at Lyttelton this afternoon in a bulk kerosene tank in the Vacuum Oil Company’s compound. A burst of smoke and flame followed immediately. It was not until an hour later that volunteers and firemen had the fire under control. The force of the explosion burst heavy rivets holding the roof of the tank in position, and left it gaping widely, while great dents were imprinted on the topmost part of the tank’s sides, as if it had been squeezed by a giant hand. There were only a few hundred gallons of kerosene in the tank at the time. The occurrence has been reported to the Explosives Department in Wellington, and an inquiry will be held. Residents heard, first of all, a hissing sound. This was followed by a heavy explosion, and puffs of greasy smoke. It occurred shortly after 12.30 p.m., when kerosene was being pumped into the tank from the tanker, Henry Dundas, which was lying alongside the oil wharf. No damage was done apart from I,hat z to the tank and no one was injured. The explosion was the signal for a rally of men employed by other oil companies. All rushed in the direction of the tanks, and within a very few minutes a willing gang of workers was gathered in the compound. The company’s foamite plant was put into immediate operation, and some progress had been made by the fire-fighters, when the Lyttelton Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived on the scene. • Firemen and volunteers worked together, and, within a few minutes the flames were smothered under a suffocating flow of soapy chemicals. The next step was a thorough hosing of the tank with water to cool down the heated plates. The police picketed the road above the tanks, preventing the public from proceeding further along Godley Quay, and the intersection of Voelas Road, but from this vantage point, it was possible to command an excellent view of the compound below, and there was a large crowd gathered to watch the efforts of the fire-fighters. Well before 2 o’clock, the men who had been extinguishing the fire, leaving the ground littered with scores of empty foamite tins, streamed back to the gates of the compound. Their boots and their arms with smothered in white chemicals, and they looked like a band of flour millers going off duty. In a brief interview after the success of their efforts, the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, Mr. R. Carson, said that when the Brigade arrived, the heat from the burning kerosene was so great that his men could not stand on the ladder at roof level. With the smothering of the flames, however, their work became easier, and they were faced with no great difficulty. This, added Mr. Carson, was the first fire to break out in a bulk fuel tank in New Zealand. The experience gained in fighting such a fire was of immense value, and it was his intention to make a full report to the Fire Brigades’ Association. The harbourmaster (Captain J. Plowman) ordered the tug Lyttelton to proceed to the lower breastwork of No. 7 wharf and stand by in case further assistance was required. ADDINGTON EXPLOSION. CHRISTCHURCH, August 14. An explosion, thought to have been caused by a detonator, did considerable damage to the fireplace, grate, and furniture in a sitting room at the residence of Mr. G. T.. Ritchie, 130, Cobham Street, Addington. The fire had been replenished with coal a few minutes before the explosion. Mr. Ritchie, who was alone in the room at the time, was sitting in front of the fire, and though not sesiously injured, he suffered from shock.