FIRE IK WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15349, 9 July 1913, Page 10

FIRE IK WELLINGTON.

THREE BUILDINGS ABLAZE.

ONE COMPLETELY GUTTED. [BT TELEGRAPH.-—PEESS association.] Wellington, Tuesday. A fire broke out to-night about eight o'clock in the Otago Buffet, at Lambton Quay, nearly opposite the police station. A /strong northerly wind fanned the flames, which soon had a good hold of the building, which was an old wooden structure of two storeys.

The fire worked through the buffet, which was gutted practically from top to bottom, but its progress southward was stopped by the brick wall of Mackay's three-storey bookseller's shop. Before the flames could be suppressed, however, they made headway in the other direction against the wind, and went through the top floor of a large wooden building adjoining, occupied by Hood Bros., drapers, and Grimmett's Lambton Tearooms. From there they entered the next building (Boucher's cycle store), the upper floor of which, like Hood Bros., was gutted.

Large volumes of water were poured on to the burning buildings, and the ground floors are sure to be swamped out, and the stocks ruined. On the ground floor of the Otago Buffet building there was also Bandinet's tobacconist's shop, which was gutted.

The insurances are :—Hood Bros., £2500 in the Yorkshire Office on the stock, and a small amount in another office not ascertainable to-night; Boucher, £300 in the Yorkshire Office and .£6OO in the Northern Office on the stock and fittings; Grimmett, £275 on the stock and fittings in the Royal Exchange Office; Paul (Otago Buffet), £30 on the furniture in the London and Liverpool and Globe Office.

The buffet buildings were owned by Hall and Knight, Hood Bros.' and Grimmett's by Gilmer and Maguire, and Boucher's premises by Peacock and Campbell. The insurances on the buildings are net yet ascertainable.