SPECTACULAR FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 14

SPECTACULAR FIRE.

WORK OF INCENDIARIST

PETROL STORE \U FLAMES.

120,000 GALLONS OF SPIRIT

FIREMEN'S ARDUOUS TASK.

COLLAPSE OF THE RUTLDINO

fiiy telegraph.—own correspondent.] CIIRISTCHURCH, Friday.

Two fires caused by ineendiarists took plaro in the city last night, while a third attempt' failed. One fire provided the most spectacular blaze seen in Christchurch for many years. This was in the oil store of Messrs. D. H. Brown and Company, in Carlyle Street where 120.000 gallons of petrol, kerosene and oil were set alight. The fire brigade found the doors of the building unlocked.

Huge sheets of flame shot hundreds of feet into the air above the burning building, and against the dark background of dense clouds of oil smoke made an awe inspiring sight. All night long tho fire raged, and flames from the burning oil were si ill issuing from the building this afternoon. The damage has been roughly estimated at. from £IO,OOO to £12,000. In the past three weeks there have been 1.2 suspicious fires, and the damage is now ovc £50,000. Series of Explosions. 'J'he early stages of the fire were marked bv loud explosions as the cases and drums of oil burst under the terriffio heat. Some of the explosions were similar to heavy artillery fire, and the ground reverberated with the shocks. Others came in quick succession, as from a battery of machineguns. In the face of all this, with the beat so intense that a building three chains away caught alight, the firemen waged a losing fight with the flames. They could not suppress tiie big outbreak, but they saved all the adjoining buildings—a feat that is creditable considering the fact that burning streams of oil ran down tho gutters. The brigade received the call at 10.30 p.m. from the automatic alarm at the railway c;oods sheds. In an incredibly short space of time huge tongues of flame shot, skywards, accompanied by dense clouds of black smoke. The heat was intense. Thousands of spectators quickly gathered from all parts of the city, for tho flames could be seen from any suburban street. Difficulties of Firemen. The firemen worked under tremendous difficulties;. They poured thousands of gallons of water in from half a dozen leads, the (ire being attacked from every possible quarter. Soon it was apparent that nothing could save the store. Across Carlyle Street stood the railway goods sheds, and it was not long before the heat endangered them. To save them from catching fire water was played on the roofs, sending up dense clouds of steam that stood out clear against the huge red flames from tho burning oil. At intervals a further quantity of oil would explode and a sheet of flame would ascend high info the air. For over two hours the fire burned without a sign of lessening in intensity. By that time thousands of people had gathered, the Madras Street railway bridge making an excellent grandstand. Carlyle Street became partially blocked with motor-cars, while hundreds of persons arrived on bicycles.

Underground Tanks Stand Test. The. tramway feeder lines caught fire in places. These run along Carlylc Street in front oi tho. oil store, and tramway repair men were out endeavouring to save the lines from being destroyed. There were two petrol pumps next door to the burning store, but the. contents of (he tanks did not explode, although in each tank there was 1000 gallons of petrol placed there yesterday. A two-storeyed wooden dwelling in Madras Street, over three chains away from the blazing store, caught alight at "times, but each outbreak was speedily suppressed by the firemen. It was fortunate that tho night was practically calm, for had a wind been blowing from the south-west quarter, as had been tho case all day, it. is almost certain that the railway good sheds opposite would have caught. Immediately after part of the roof had been blown off witir a loud report hoajd a long distance away, tho hip part of the brick wall at tile back followed with a resounding crash. Burning oil (lowed over the footpatli and into (he gutter. The brigade's efforts on the burning building were greatly impeded by the lines of live electlic-wirc.s running along side. Most members of the brigade had to be provided with special capes on which water was poured to protect them against (he heat. Most Spectacular Scene. The fire seems to have started on tho llnor and to have, quickly mounted tip. Tho most spectacular scene was when the main part of the roof fell in. This seemed to give tho flames which had been dying down- fresh life, and they mounted higher and fiercer than ever, while the smoke increased in volume and density, resembling a volcanic outburst. With the flames still darting high into the air a portion of the brick wall on tho Madras Street frontage of. the store' crashed down at 11.46 p.m. Fortunately, owing to the heat, there was no one near I lie wall when it fell-

Many ot tite windows in the customs house at the southern end of the goods sheds, about three chains from the fire, were broken I>> the. heat, and tho building had to be spraved with hoses all tho time in order to keep it from igniting. The produce store of Messrs. W. E. Cook and Company, on the west side ol the oil store, was it. great danger at one time, but the brigade kept it from catching lire. FIRE STILL RAGING. FURTHER EXPLOSION FEARED LARGE DRUMS OF PETROL. fnv TELEC U A Pit. —'Pit ERR ASSOCIATION. ] CIIRISTCHURCH. Friday. The petrol fire was still blazing fiercely at 11.30 p.m. The firemen are busy playing water on the burning mass. They have little hope of extinguishing the flames before all the petrol has been burned. At the hoftoin of the pile there are a number of large drums of motor spirit, which must almost inevitably explode sooner or later. Tho aim of the firemen is to keep tho temperature of the mass as low as possible, in order to delay the explosion, in the hope that when tho, drums ignite there will be as liUle as possible of the burning petrol reniaiiiMig. The risk of serious danger has not yet passed. No ono has been badly hurt yet. but the firemen hourly run serious risks.