GREAT FIRE AT BRUSSELS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 16 August 1910, Page 5

GREAT FIRE AT BRUSSELS.

THE EXHIBITION BUIDING DESTROYED. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE. [Press Association—Copyright.] BRUSSELS, Monday. A disastrous fire, has broken out at the. Exhibition. The British, French, and six other sections are burning. The fire is attributed to fireworks or n short circuited electric wire. It began at nine last night in the Belgian section', in the facade on tile eastern side. The flames spread with extraordinary rapidity, aided by the wax mannequins of the Brussels dressmakers. Soon an unbroken sheet of flame spread to the British division, where bctlt sections were consumed in 50 minutes. The contents included Grinling Gibbons' carvings, Morlaix tapestries, priceless furniture, and the Bradford Tableaux showing the worsted industry. Only documents were saved before the cry of "Sauve qui pent" was raised. The wind caused the sparks to scatter everywhere, and the French, Danish. Russian. Norwegian. Spanish, Austrian, Japanese, and Chinese sections became involved. The whole left side of the Avenue ties Nations, and also 40 houses in the Avenue Solbosch, adjoining the Exhibition, wero destroyed. Sappers finally blew up the buildings with dynamite. The machinery hall is still threatened. Numerous thefts were reported. An apache stabbed a soldier who was arresting him. Fortunately the publicwere from the building after six o'clock. The grounds were filled by enormous crowds watching the fireworks. The worst panic was in a section' of the grounds showing a reproduction of old Brussels, where the hurrying crowds became bewildered in the maze of old streets. These were destroyed. It is reported that two persons were killed and numbers injured. The animals of Bostoek's show escaped and were afterwards shot.