SAWMILL DESTROYED

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 58

SAWMILL DESTROYED

DISASTROUS FIRE AT NAPIER. NAPIER, December 25. A disastrous fire occurred here on Saturday afternoon, when Messrs Robert Holt and Sons’ large sawmill was completely destroyed and a quantity of timber stocked about the yard was burned and considerably damaged. No estimate has been made of the loss, but it will run into many thousands of pounds. The whole of the' valuable machinery has been rendered quite useless. , Fanned by a strong easterly wind, the flarne3 soon enveloped the whole factory, in spite of the efforts of the firemen, who faced the task of preventing what seemed an almost inevitable spread of fire through a whole block of wooden houses with commendable fortitude, suffering all the time about the face and hands through the terrific heat. When the large building was one mass of consuming fire, just before the roof fell, the spectacle presented by dense volumes of smoke and flames was magnificent, and the terrible chances of saving the block —and perhaps two or three blocks—seemed remote indeed, but against odds the brigadesmen struggled, and in two hours had the fire under control, though its complete extinction necessitated work throughout the whole night. One cottage was destroyed, and the back yard, fences, and sheds were damaged. Otherwise the fire was confined to the mill and yard. The insurances are not ascertainable, but it is known they are small and that the loss to the firm will be very considerable. Many workmen lost complete kits of valuable tools. The staff of about 100 will probably all be found employment again by the firm, whose activities are not limited to this mill alone. The fire started in a shavings hopper (how r , it is not known), and the fact that this was situated towards the eastern end of the building made the task of the strong wind from that direction in spreading it a light one. The shavings and dry timber burned with amazing rapidity, and the efforts of the men working at the time of the outbreak were in vain. The fire brigade was early on the scene with two leads, but from the start the mill was.doomed.