FIRES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20787, 5 August 1929, Page 7

FIRES.

OUTBREAK' IN THEATRE. 2000 FEET OF FILM DESTROYED. ( Peb United Pukss associatui.v , WELLINGTON, August 3.' The. fire brigade was called last night to the Artcraft Theatre, where some film was alight.. The fire was confined to the operating . -box. The machine was slightly damaged, and about 2000 feet, of film destroyed. The programme was abandoned. BLAZE IN fiOATSHEDS’ CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE REPORTED. (Special io Bails Dues.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 4. A fire in the boatsheds near the Montreal . street bridge caused extensive damage at about 7.30 p.m. on Saturday evening. The building, an old wooden one, was almost completely burned, and about a dozen rowing' boats and canoes were damaged to a greater or less extent. The outbreak was. first noticed by the proprietor of a fish shop in Oxford terrace, across the Avon, who, seeing flames and smoke issuing from the windows of the shed, immediately telephoned the brigade. The building was burning fiercely when the firemen arrived', the flames travelling through the woodwork with great rapidity. The fire was soon under control, and the building was saved from complete destruction. As far as is known there is no reason to believe that the outbreak was wilfully caused. All the doors and windows were found securely fastened. The fire apparently started in the north-west corner of the shed, where there was a fair amount of furniture. A quantity of carved wood belonging to the owner, Mr Harry Wilson, a wood carver who used the premises as his workshop, was burned. Altogether, ten boats and canoes were burned, and two boats and five canoes were saved undamaged. However, the loss will be considerable, as rowing boats cost anything from £lO to £lB to build. Detectives were early on the scene, ut the results of their investigations are not known at present. LOCAL CAI/LS. The City Fire Brigade turned out at 11.10 a.m. on Saturday to a justifiable false alarm from the residence of MrH. J, Lousley at Murchison street, Anderson’s Bay. Two calls (also justifiable false alarms) were received by the brigade yesterday—one at 6.10 a.m. from a house in Prince Albert road, St. Kilda, and the other at 2.25 p.m. from 63 Royal crescent, Musselburgh.