RAPID SPREAD OF FIRE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 13 December 1938, Page 11

RAPID SPREAD OF FIRE

COMMENTS BY CORONER "The police have made a very lengthy ! inquiry into this great tragedy.” said ; the Coroner. "I must express my in- ! debtedness to them for their labours. I have had the opportunity of perusing the file of a considerable number of statements and I indicated what persons I thought should be called as wit"lt is clear that the deceased never left her bed. Probably she never even moved. The remains rested on the wire mattress and no doubt death was idue to asphyxiation and she probably j didn't suffer as far as burning was I concerned. j "It is amazing how rapidly the fire ! enveloped the whole building. That to j my mind was due mainly to the mater- ! ial of which it was constructed though | perhaps the theory of the Superinten--1 dent of the Fire Brigade as to there I being inflammable gases may also be a i contributing cause. It is remarkable |in the circumstances that more occupants were not trapped than this poor ! girl. ‘•IRON LADDERS UNSUITABLE" "I am satisfied that iron ladders are unsuitable fire escapes. The Wairau Licensing Committee has instructed all these to be dispensed with in hotels and runways substituted. If I have anything to do with it the same will be done here. These iron ladders are quite useless. Whether these girls are given to getting out of windows I can’t say.

“In the circumstances I can only return a verdict that Nurse Rothwell died from asphyxiation by smoko caused by the lire. “As far as the origin and cause of the lire are concerned that is a mystery. One thing is certain—it did net start actually in the furnace room because that part is less affected by the lire than any other part. But I am quite satisfied that the fire did begin under the floor of the sitting room. The whole of this floor m completely burnt away. The floor next to the sitting room is burnt much more underneath than on top. The sitting room is adjacent to tho bc-iler and the most feasible theory is to my mind that there must have beer. considerable heat passing through the floor of the sitting room. I doubt whether it was due to an explosion but I quite agree with the superir iendent that the indirect cause of the fire was the heat coming from the boiler and passing under tho sitting room floor. "As far as the lire is concerned I will return a verdict that the causo and origin of the fire were indirectly traceable to the furnace but otherwise are not established by the evidence.”