SAWMILL FIRE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18192, 13 September 1933, Page 5

SAWMILL FIRE

TOWNSHIP ENDANGERED BUILDING AND PLANT LOST The township of Manunui. four miles south of Tauninninui, had a narrow escape from destruction on Monday morning when lire broke out in the Pukuweka Sawmill Company's planing works building. A high wind was blowing and the building was soon a mass of fla'A#es. The Manunui Fire Brigade was unable to cope with the lire and the Taumarunui brigade was sent for. Millhands from the Pukuweka mill and Ellis and Burimnd’s mill also lent assistance, and good work was done in preventing the spread of the flames. The wind swept the lire with great force through the large building and across the timber stacks in the yard. Fortunately the wind was blowing toward the railway line, otherwise nothing could have saved the other sawmill buildings, and from there the fire litmld have reached Ellis and Burnand’s largemill and stacks and spread through Manunui township. Shortly after the arrival of tin-, Tnumarunui brigade the whole of the root of the planing works fell in with a loud crash. The brigades and helpers did good work in placing leads of water on the fire and timber stacks. During the height of the fire the heat was intense and cottages near by were endangered, the occupants removing their furniture. The whole of the planing works was destroyed and nothing was left hut twisted roofing iron and badly-damaged machinery. Six sets of timber trucks and 20.000 ft. of timber were destroyed. The mill engine and planing machinery were wrecked

Later fire broke out in the Pukuweka; Company's office, caused by sparks from the main fire, hut the brigade promptly put it out. The origin of the fire is not known. The works had been closed down for some time and everything was in readiness for the commencement of operations again in view of the improvement, in the timber industry.