DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18867, 15 November 1924, Page 8

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

AVONDALE GARAGE BURNED SIX VEHICLES DESTROYED. TWO PASSENGER BUSES. PRIVATE DWELLING CONSUMED. A disastrous fire occurred at Avondale shortly after 11 o'clock last night, when a large motor-bus garage, together with two passenger motor-buses, two heavy motor-lorries, two motor-cars, two motor-bus tops, together with a neigh- ' bouring house, were completely destroyed. The building itself, which was built of corrugated iron, and mea?ured roughly 60ft. by 120 ft., occupied the site of an old bus stable, known in the coaching days as Patterson's stable. It was owned by Mr. C. T. Pooley, of Avondale, and was insured. Details of the Losses. The front portion of the building was occupied by the General Omnibus Company, which housed there four motorbuses. One of these was brought safely out, but. the other two were completely destroyed. One, a 40-seater Guy, was valued at £700 and the other, a Ford vehicle. ' seating 20 persons, at 5600. There was no insurance on the former vehicle, but the Ford was insured. Also in the building was a Clydesdale motor-lorry, owned by Mr. W. H. T. Leighton, contractor, of Henderson, and a Republic motor-lorry, owned by Mr. C. T. Pooley. Both these lorries were destroyed. Two motor-cars complete, the list of burned vehicles. One was a six-cylinder Cleveland car, owned by Constable Douglas, of Avondale. It was valued at £550 and insured for £200. The second car was a two-seater Ford, belonging to the General Omnibus Company. In addition to the vehicles, there were two motor-bus wooden tops in the garage, and they were both burned. One was owned by Mr. M. McCarthy; taxi proprietor, of Avondale, and the other by Mr. Ben Mason, of Avondale. Vain Effort to Save House. When the Avondale volunteer fire brigade reached the scene, it was obvious that it was quite impossible to attempt to save the garage or the contents, and the brigade concentrated its efforts on a six-roomed house, situated some 10 or 12 feet from the garage. At first it seemed as if the strenuous fight of the firemen would be successful, but a high wind turned the scales against the brigade, and the house was soon a mass of flames.

The house was owned by Mr. Pooley, and occupied by Mr. L. Tierney, hairdresser and billiard saloon keeper, of Avondale. Mr. Tierney is a particularly heavy loser, as the total contents of the house were lost. His wife and ten children managed to escape from the house, but were not able to save anything. Neighbours were quick to sympathise, and provided the family with shelter for the night. The house was not insured.

By this time, the Mount Albert brigade had arrived, and all available hoses were turned on to another cottage next to the doomed one. The united . efforts of the brigades saved the second cottage, • and damage to it was confined to scorching. Buses Tfcat Were Saved. The outbreak occurred a few minutes after the return to Avondale of the last bus from the city. This bus had not been turned into the garage and was consequently saved. Two of the company's drivers, who were early arrivals on the scene, concentrated their efforts on saving a 24-seater bus which was near the door and managed to push it down the ramp into the street with nothing but a scorching to the back. Of the six buses owned by the company, two were under repairs in the city. A seventh, which had just been built, was expected at the garage that day from the makers, but owing to a piece of good fortune it failed to arrive. The General Omnibus Company has suffered losses amounting to about £2000 as a result of the fire, including approximately £200 worth of tools and accessories, and £70 worth of tyres. The firm has only been in existence three months, the sole partners being Messrs. E. It. Alexander and G. R. Horrocks. The premises occupied by the firm were erected 27 years ago on the site of Patterson's coaching stables, which at that time were destroyed by a similar fire. The company's buses ply between the city, Point Chevalier and Avondale. The main telephone and telegraph wires north of Avondale to Holensville ran in front of the garage, and these were seriously affected by ihe flames. The service northward from Avondale is thus temporarily disorganised. The presence of oil and benzine made the outbreak difficult to suppress, and the flames were not completely quelled until 1 a.m.

HUOE WOOLSHED DESTROYED. TEVIOT STATION BUILDING. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN. Friday. Teviot Station woolshed, owned by the Government and the largest in New Zealand and Australia, was destroyed by fire this morning. HOTEL BURNED DOWN. HURRIED ESCAPE NECESSARY. [by telegraph.—press association.] CHRISTCHUKCH, Friday. i Ruthcrham Hotel, North Canterbury, was destroyed by fire last evening, the licensee, 'Sir. W. Dando losing everything of value, including £50 in notns. The boarders, who /were awakened by smoke, lost a portion of their clothes Mrs. Dando fainted on the tire escape, but was unhurt. A defective chimney was probably the cause of the conflagration. CHARGE OF ARSON. PALMERSTON NORTH FIRE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] PALMERSTON NORTH. Friday. In the Police Court to-day Walter Clifford Flogdell, charged with arson at Shannon, pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The charge was a sequel to a fir* which occurred at Shannon last Friday evening, the flames being quelled* before much damage was done.