FIRES

Southland Times, Issue 17938, 1 February 1917, Page 5

FIRES

blaze in leet street.

ARMOUR JOHNSTON AND CO.’S

PREMISES.

BURNT OUT LATE LAST NIGHT,

“Look at that fire!" The time was a few minutes to eleven last and the speaker was standing on the third floor of the Southland Times office and looking northwards, A glance showed a small pocket of flame licking a roof some blocks distant. There was no sign of-, any alarm having been given, and it was but a moment's work to ’phone the brigade. Subsequent enquiries showed that about the same time the fire station received an alarm call from the hospital, and that the street boxes at the Hospital, Briscoe’s, Monument, and Yarrow street had also been broken, but it is stated that none of the street signals sounded in the station.

The engine was soon whistling its way down Esk street and along Dee street to Leet street, where it was seen that the commodious brick building owned by Mr P. H. Vickery and occupied by the engineering firm of Armour, Johnston and Co., as offices and showroom. was the fiery magnet which had already attracted a large crowd. When the motor pulled up spirals of flame were swirling out of a couple of the office windows on the south side, while the whole of the interior of the southwestern or office corner of the building seemed to be wrapt in a lurid blanket of destruction. The sky, too, was of that splendid colour which precedes a summer sunrise, but in this case it but reflected the havoc below. The fire-fighters’ first move was to run a couple of leads from the plug about mid-way between Dee street and the blazing building. The nozzles of these were directed towards the office windows and the flames within began slowly to fall back. But the demon of destruction was not to be thus easily discouraged, and almost instantaneously, it seemed, the first few windows facing Leet street from the showroom portion of the premises, became' illuminated by tongues of rushing fire and the handreel was raced up the street where another two leads were led for the next plug. This new supply of water like the first had a splendid pressure behind it, but fire was quicker than water and in a very few minutes the whole of the front interior of the main building was nothing but a furnace. About this time too- the eaves of the adjoining Methodist church caught, but were soon rescued. . Bystanders were curious to know why the interior of an implement showroom burned so fiercely, but this is doubtless accounted for by the fact that the building was floored throughout with wood and sarked with the same material, while the whole of the front to a depfh of about 30ft was celled with T. and G. ceiling which is stated to be highly inflammable. For fully half an hour the spectacle resolved itself into a battle royal between the elements, and the crowd watched thest ruggle with keen interest and in silence. A portion of the building, which was about two chains wide by a chain and a-half deep was partitioned off from the remainder by a brick wall. This section, which is approximately one quarter of the whole, contained only one or two implements of the firm’s and was being used by the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. as an auxiliary wool store. The intervening brick wall, however, was sure and although the barricade of corrugated iron which filled the doorway connecting this portion with the main showroom was burned through in a number of places, the fire did no damage to the store or its stock.

The last hour of January was well gone when the water really gained a good mastery, and even then only the shell on the office portion was left. By midnight the fire fighters were well inside with thei* hoses, and were pouring water on the burning floor and swishing it along the blazing sarking of the rear part of the premises. An hour later the fire was practically . out, but all that now remains is the brick skeleton, capped by a fire-tried roof and still tenanted by its array of ploughs, harrows, forges, etc. The office portion, which consisted of four rooms, is, of course, utterly destroyed, but the safe stood the strain and all the firm’s books and. important documents are intact. The contents of the showroom, which was not partitioned in any way, were agricultural implements of all descriptions, engineers’ supplies and general hardware.

The insurances are £32o# on the firm’s stock the value of which they estimate at approximately £SOOO, and £2650 hy Mr Vickery on the building, both amounts in the Standard office. The stock being in a large measure irongoods it is, of course, by no means all destroyed, but must be considerably damaged and will need a very thorough overhauling at the very least. Fortunately a goodly, portion of the firm's extensive stock is stored in their engineering works in Leven street, so the loss is not so heavy as it might have been

Thp cause of the ooutbreak is shrouded in mystery. Yesterday was the office half-holiday and during the afternoon there was no one about but Mr Armour himself who was working in the office. He returned in the evening, and was busy up till 10.10 p.m. when he left the office with everything apparently secure. Fifty minutes later the place, was in flames. There had been no fires in the building of late, and it was lit byelectricity so every possible channel of origin seems to have been blocked.

ANOTHER OUTBREAK.

At 2.40 a.m, this morning the Brigade was again summoned to Leet street, another outbreak having taken place in the Methodist church building. The Brigade was promptly on the spot, and had not returned at the time of our going to press. It was reported, however, that the fire had been speedily checked, hut the extent of rtie damage was not available.

BLAZE IN AUCKLAND.

(Per United Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, January 31

A fire in the Victoria Buildings, Queen street, last night caused a little damage to the building. The stock of Thomas Jay and Co., photographic indent agents, was completely destroyed. The stock, valued at £4OOO, was insured for £2700 in the British, Dominion and Norwich Union offices.