Bakehouse Fire Today

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1948, Page 5

Bakehouse Fire Today

Breaking out at 6.30 o’clock this morning, a fire charred the ceiling members and burnt holes in the fibrolite roof of Messrs Davidson Brothers' bakehouse on the corner of Kamo Road and Moody’s Avenue, Whangarei. The fire was first seen .by Mr J. E. Hallmond, who was in a lean-to-roofed continuation of the main building. He noticed the smoke and was moving towards the door of the bakehouse proper when Mr W. Jenkins, in the main building, saw white smoke issuing from the ceiling. Mr R. V. Davidson immediately switched off the ovens and rang the fire brigade. There was little the staff could do with buckets, as the fire was confined to the ceiling which was bone dry from the heat of the ovens, so they concentrated on the removal of stock from the main building. The greater portion of the day’s bake was cleared, so that little damage was done in the fire fighting. HOPE TO BAKE TONIGHT By the time the firemen had the fire under control it had burnt through about one-third of the interior ceiling and charred all the ceiling joists and roofing timbers.

In addition some holes were burned in the roofing.

Members of the Whangarei Borough Council electrical staff were working on the wiring this morning, and they hoped to have the building rewired tonight. If this can be done, and a clearance obtained from the insurance company, there will be no break in bread production on account of the fire.

The only possibility of additional damage lies in a heavy fall of rain before the roof can be repaired.

The cause of the fire is not known definitely. About this time last year a similar fire occurred in the same bakehouse, causing rather more structural damage.