INVERCARGILL FIRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19198, 14 June 1924, Page 7

INVERCARGILL FIRE.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. FINE WORK BY BRIGADE. In connection with the fire early yesterday morning in the premises of Messrs Kingsland Bros, and Anderson, wool and skin merchants. Tay street, Invercargill, the brigade made a splendid save, and the main damage was confined to tho store room. There was a large stock of rahbitskins, valued at about £4OOO, other furred goods amounting to £5003. 'the value of the other contents was as follows:--Wool £2OO, dressed leather £2OO. horsehair £IOO, tallow and mutton bird oil £2OO, hides and calfskins £IOO. The office furniture and fixings are estimated to he worth approximately £2OO, while tho three sets of scales, tho modern press and the four assorting tables will cost about £2OO to replace. The office, which was partitioned off from the store proper by a wall of poilite, wont untouched by the flames, though a certain 'amount of damage was caused by the water leaking in. The firm's safe, containing tho books and other papers, was not damaged. The sleek was covered in the National Office bv an open policy of £15,000. so that (he firm will not. stiller any loss. The building, of which the portion used for ,storage purposes was completely putted, is part of the estate of the late Mr J. T. Thompson, and the insurances, if any, are not available so far. Tlie store was not the firm’s main one, and was used merely ns an auxiliary to that; at their works at Waikiwi. Tho cause of tho fire remains unknown, but seemingly the lire started in the upper portion of the building. There had been two fireplaces in use during the day. but both of those were in. the offices, and no fire had been lit in the store. The lighting was elect fie, and an electric lift was also installed, but. . the power hud been turned off early in tho evening at. the main switch. Tho employees left the premises at 5 p.m. and when Mr Frank Kingsland, who had been at the rabhitskin sales all day, returned at 5.30, there was no sign of fire. From tho lime he loft, shortly hefor six until the time the outbreak was discovered, nobody had .been in the store, as far as is known. The night watchman visited the building on his rounds about IX p.m., and found everything apparently all right, and no sign of fire, and several other people who passed along Tay street between then and after midnight also saw no evidence of anything being amiss. At 12.35 a.m., flames wore seen issuing from the building by a member of the Southland Times staff and the alarm given.