FIRE IN ITALIAN KINEMA

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 32

FIRE IN ITALIAN KINEMA

ROME, February 27. Fire in a kinema at Moriago incinerated 35 people. Many were injured. February 28. Th e fire resulted in a shocking disaster. The number of deaths has not been as-, certained, but it is believed to be considerable, including many children. The display was given on the first floor of an old granary constructed of wood, and there were 300 spectators. A film caught fire, and the operator’s wooden cabin was quickly ablaze. The hall was filled with smoke, and men, women, and children rushed to the single wooden staircase, which collapsed, Podesta, the proprietor, vainly trying to calm the maddened crowd. Many were thus burned to death, asphyxiated, or crushed to death. Meanwhile, there were terrible scenes in the village. Mothers, rushing to see if their children were safe, were unable to approach the burning building. Moriago has no fire brigade, and when firemen arrived from Treviso the building was a mass of cinders.

So far 40 bodies have been extricated * from the ruins. Podesta and his wife escaped by jumping from a window.