BLAZE AT A ZOO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22005, 14 July 1933, Page 16

BLAZE AT A ZOO

WILD CAT STARTS FIRE OVERTURNING OF OIL STOVE. Fire which destroyed a large part of the amusement park at Southend, Essex, known as the Kursaal, is believed to have been started by a wild eat. A number of wooden structures were involved, and owing to (heir highly imllammable nature the blare spread at ah amazing rate. The (lames reached a height of 100 ft, and could be seen for miles. One of the doomed buildings was a miniature zoo, and nil the monkeys, snakes, marmots, etc., were burned, except a wild cat (civet cat). It was stated subsequently that the fire was apparently caused by this eat. It got out of its cage and overturned an oil stove used for heating purposes. Then it escaped from the menagerie ns soon ns the door was smashed in. When the cat’s escape became known keepers with heavy sticks searched the area for it, but without success. The police were notified, and instructions were issued that no attempt should be made to corner the cat, but that it should be shot on sight. The flames attracted thousands of people, and soon the roads loading to the Kursaal were impassable. All police reserves were called out to deal with the crowd, but the pressure was so great that people burst their way through to where the firemen wore working. In places they were uncontrollable, and the firemen were compelled to turn their hoses on to them to drive them away. At one stage the rifle range, in which were 2. r )0 rounds of ammunition, became involved. Minor explosions caused a stampede among the crowd, and several people were thrown to the ground and trampled on. Ambulance men rendered first aid to many of the victims. One man was so badly hurt that he had to be taken to hospital.. All the stalls had been stocked for the summer trade, which starts at Whitsun, and the stallholders made a scramble to try to save their goods. Some of them threw’ teddy bears, vases, chocolates, and' cigarettes into the crowd, and hundreds of souvenirs were collected by the spectators. A large part of the area affected was being made into a Zulu village.