WOOL STORE FIRE

Grey River Argus, 10 January 1944, Page 2

WOOL STORE FIRE

IN TARANAKI P.A. NEW PLYMOUTH, Jan. 7. A disastrous fire which broke out in the wool cleaning and drying store of Thos. Borthwick and Sons, meat freezing works at Waitara this morning demolished the main two-storey building of that section of the works and gutted two other single storey bays adjoining.-The damage will run to several thousand pounds. The buildings themselves represent a considerable amount, but the contents,, including expensive nlant and stocks, are by far the greater loss.

Killing proceeded as usual to-day and every effort is to be made to maintain production and to keen faith with farmers. The fire is not expected to affect work to any extent. The buildings affected involved the’ works in a temporary loss of approximately 24<,000 feet’ of (floor snace. In the stores burnt were about 1.200 bags of lime, 1,000 wool packs, 119 drums of sodium, 64 bales of wool, and about 30,000 lbs. loose wool (representing two days’ killings), 13.044 lamb and. 1.209 sheep pelts, 6,437 green pelts, and 2,524 skins. Among the plant damaged by fire were two Petrie wool driers, one of which was a recent installation.