CHRISTCHURCH BLAZE

Grey River Argus, 5 July 1944, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH BLAZE

THREE-STOREY BUILDING BURNS. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, July 4. A spectacular fire, swept through the second and third floors of a large store on the premises of Central Egg Floor Limited, Tuam Street, shortly before nine o’clock, this evening. For more than an hour, the Christchurcn fire brigade fought the blaze whicn sent columns of smoke clouds and sparks high over adjoining buildings. The fire was confined to the top floors which contained crates of packing material, and did not reach the ground floor, where there were one hundred and eighty-seven dozen eggs, about fifty pounds worth of bacon ana cheese, and two egg grading machines. The main store in the rear of the premises, which w as untouched, contained several thousand dozen eggs, also the bulk of grading and stamping machinery. Firemen first entered the building, but were driven back by flames and they then concentrated . water from five leads of hose, through ‘the windows of the top floors. The Chairman of Directors, Mr. C. Ferguson, said that the building and its contents were fully covered by insurance. The egg floor will be able to carry on, to-morrow, receiving and distributing eggs.