FIRES IN TOWN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16200, 25 November 1926, Page 6

FIRES IN TOWN

A PROMPT SAVE What might have been a serious outbreak of fire in Gisborne last evening was averted by the prompt work of the fire brigade. The blaze occurred in the oil store at the rear of Messrs. Williams and Kettle’s grain store in Customhouse street, and the flames were first noticed at about 8.40 o’clock by an official of the Union Bank, who immediately gave the alarm. The shed contained drums of oil, kerosene, and methylated spirit, pots of paint, and stocks of binder twine and sheep-dip, and the flames quickly secured a firm hold. Fortunately, hovv> ever, the contents of the oil and spirit drums did not catch alight, although the drums themselves were badly burnt. The brigade were quickly on the scene, extinguishing the outbreak before it could spread to the main building, and confining it to the oil store, whith escaped serious damage. Adjoining the oil store was a small shed containing a number of old office hooks of the firm, and the majority of these were ruined by the flames and water. The stock in the oil store was covered by a policy for £2CCO with the Royal Insurance office.

Earlier in the day the brigade was summoned to extinguish a fire at tho lower end of Derby street. A quantity of sawdust, from wliat had formerly been Taylor's mill liad been tipped over tho embankment into Waikanae creek, and the warm weather evidently brought about spontaneous combustion. The sawdust had been smouldering for the last two days, and a resident in the neighbourhood brought out the brigade at about 4.30 p.m. yesterday to extinguish it. A few minutes were sufficient for the brigade to remove the dapger.