FIRE AT INVERCARGILL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19529, 11 July 1925, Page 13

FIRE AT INVERCARGILL

GRAIN STORE GUTTED. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DONE. (Feom Otjih Own Coehespondent.) INTERCARGILL, July 10. Since the big oil fire here last year, Invercargill has been happily able to congratulate itself on being comparatively frea of serious outbreaks. But the .period of it* immunity from a big blaze ended in the small hours of this morning. Shortly before 3 o’clock a Railway Workshops employee noticed flames coming from the eastern side of Messrs Weighty Stephenson. and Co.’s large grain store m Tweed street. He at onod gave the alarm, and the brigade was soon on the spot, but the Are had spread at a tremendous rate, and the building woe soon ablaze from end to end. Fortunately the absence of anything more than a light breeze enabled the outbreak to be confined to the grain department, and effective work by the brigade resulted in the manure store and seedcleaning department beum saved. The water mains in this part of the town are only 3-inch pipes, as against 5-meh mains in the city block. Only the four walls of the building were left standing when the fire had burnt itself out, the damage being very extensive, both to the building and its contents. The insurances on the building amounted, to £3500, and on.the stock and plant £11,730, both policies being held m tha New Zealand Office.