MOTOR BURNED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22403, 27 April 1936, Page 12

MOTOR BURNED

SERIES OF INCIDENTS DASH FOR FIRE BRIGADE TRUCK AND CAR COLLIDE [liv TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WHANGAREI, Sunday A blazing motor-car and a collision between a motor-car and a motortruck in Whangarei on Friday were related in a series of incidents which quickly followed each other. A sedan motor-car sent from Daruavillc for overhaul burst into flames in Mr. George Wilding's motor repair workshop in Lower Cameron Street. Mr. Wilding had been working on tho mudguard of the car during; tho morning and had occasion to go up Cameron Street, leaving the car apparently quite safe. There was no one in tho workshop at the time of tho outbreak and the fire had obtained a complete hold before it was seen by passers bv. The alarm was given to members of the staff of Messrs. James and Whimp, who are located in the same building as that in which the car was housed. They were quickly on the scene. Idealising tho danger of the burning car igniting the building, they pushed the flaming vehicle out on to Lower Cameron Street, and Mr. James made every effort to extinguish tho flames with a chemical extinguisher. The others assisted as a bucket brigade.

This proved insufficient and Mr. Wilding, who had been notified of the fire, set off in his own car to ect the fire brigade and more chemical appliances. As the car came to the junction of John and Robert Streets it skidded in the looso metal and crashed into a truck owned by Mr. Walter Wakelin and driven by Mr. P. Kenyon. The car was severely damaged and the truck also was damaged, but less seriously. Mr. Wilding was accompanied by Mr. Cyril Dempster, but, fortunately, no one was hurt. In the meantime the fire brigade, summoned by telephone, arrived on the scene of the burning vehicle and quickly extinguished the flames, but not before the framework of the car had been burned. The engine was not injured. It was fortunate that the flames did not reach the benzine tank. truck destroyed DRIVER'S LUCKY ESCAPE The driver of a large motor-truck on the Pukekohe East Road had a fortunate escape from injury when the vehicle left the road yesterday near Paerata. It plunged over a 10ft. hank, overturned, and burst into flames, but the driver was not seriously injured. The truck, which was laden with empty milk cans, was destroyed. The cans were strewn over a wide area.