Big Fire At Auckland

Northern Advocate, 9 July 1938, Page 10

Big Fire At Auckland

[SjK’chil to "Northern Advocate.’'] AUCKLAND. This Day. A serious fire occurred in Auckland last night, shortly after li.tU) o’clock, when a two-storeyed wooden building, which housed a quantity of valuable machinery, as well as joinery in various stages of completion, owned by the Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd., was completely destroyed. Damage is estimated to be about £15.0f0. Fire-brigac’ssmen had a hopeless task, and did well to save an adjoining concrete building on the southern side and a wooden house on the northern side of the doomed building.

Comparatively few signs of fire were visible on the outside of the building in the early stages, but the brigadesmen found a fierce blaze as I soon as the doors were opened. The j origin of the fire is not known. It is though! to have begun on the lower floor, but the flames spread with such rapidity that it is difficult to determine exactly where the outbreak did originate. One of the brigadesmen, Mr H. Flint, had one hand burned. He was not taken to hospital, but was sent back to the fire station. Thongh acurate assesment of the damage done is impossible at this stage, a conservative estimate would be £25,000. This includes not only damage to buildings and plant, but to stock which comprised orders for several large contracts in the city, among which are woodwork for the Naval Base, for the Kauri Point undertaking, and for the new block of the Auckland Universtity College. A considerable part of the damage is not covered by insurance, though insurance details are not available. Joiners employed by the firm were particularly unfortunate, forty of them having lost their entire set of tools, valued at some £ls. Two joiners had been on the job only two days, and the firm is making an effort to start them on Monday morning and is making a grant towards the replacement of the tools.