WOOL STORE RAZED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27291, 18 January 1950, Page 5

WOOL STORE RAZED

Disastrous Melbourne Fire

Valuable Stores Destroyed

NZPA—Copyright

MELBOURNE. Jan. 17.

In one of the most spectacular fires in Melbourne history a wool store at, Brooklyn, six miles from Melbourne, was totally destroyed, with damage estimated at £300,000. The blaze destroyed over 1500 bales of wool valued at £IOO.OOO, large quantities of hides and tallow worth a similar amount and sausage skins valued at £25,000. The building and storage equipment were worth £75,000. The fire was well under way when noticed by a night watchman. Every Melbourne fire brigade lent assistance to prevent the spread of the flames, while 100 policemen fought to control a crowd of 10,000 onlookers. The city streets were blanketed with smoke and the sky glowed red _as acrid fumes blew across the city. Explosions heard five miles away blew off the roof of the store, and the flames, fanned by a strong breeze, swept quickly through the length of , the building. In a few minutes the’ walls crumbled. , ' The firemen could do little to check , the blaze because of the inadequate water pressure. At the height of the fire, pieces of tallow weighing up to a ton shot into the air and burst into flames, causing panic among the crowd. , A , , The fire was under control early v today, but the wool will continue smouldering for several days. The store, owned by the Commonwealth Realisation Committee, was built by the United States Army during the war.