BIG BLAZE

Southland Times, Issue 22491, 28 January 1935, Page 8

BIG BLAZE

MAKAREWA WORKS PART OF FELLMONGERY DESTROYED DAMAGE ASSESSED AT £3OOO Structural damage assessed at £3OOO, and damage to plant and stock which it is not yet possible to estimate with any degree of accuracy, were caused by fire which broke out at the Southland Frozen Meat Company’s Makarewa works late on Saturday night. Part of the fellmor.gery buildings were destroyed, and only the parapet walls subdividing' the building, the good work of a volunteer brigade of company employees and residents, and the calmness of the night prevented a much more serious conflagration. The alarm was given shortly after 11 p.m. by a fireman from the boiler-house adjoining the wool drying rooms in one of which the fire originated. Forty minutes earlier the nightwatchman had passed the building and had observed nothing untoward, so it is to be presumed that the outbreak suddenly assumed intensity.

Under the supervision of the works manager and the chief engineer a band of fire-fighters was soon hard at work endeavouring to c<}nfine the blaze to the wool-drying department. The company possesses its own fire-hose and this was soon playing freely on the walls to the east and west of the burning section of the fellmongery. On the east side lay the boiler-house and large compartments in which tallow was stored in barrels. Adjoining on the western side was the wool-room, filled with bales.

It was realized that any attempt to save the wool-drying rooms was hopeless, the fire having obtained such a strong hold. Earlier in the night a keen wind was blowing and had it not abated it is possible that the parapet walls and the efforts of the fire-fighters would have proved unavailing. Fortunately at the time of the outbreak the night was calm and gradually it became apparent that the spread of the flames was going to be checked. Glare Attracts Spectators. The glare from the burning building was visible for a great many miles, people being attracted from various points of the compass. A party on the way in from Riverton observed the reflection of the flames in the sky when they reached Thornbury and changed their course to enable them to witness the conflagration. From Winton and Invercargill motorists came speeding. Quite a number of Invercargill residents surmised that the Underwood factory was ablaze but after reaching Lorneville discovered their error and travelled on to Makarewa. By midnight there must have been well over 109 people assembled as near as was comfortable to the burning building. It was certainly a spectacular fire, the flames leapin" high into the sky and the tall chimney of the boiler-house being silhouetted against the lurid background of smoke and flame. The men who from the roof top were using powerful hoses had an unenviable time but stuck to their task courageously and had the satisfaction of seeing their efforts rewarded. By 1 a.m. the fire was definitely in check, though a watch was kept throughout the night lest an unexpected outbreak should occur in an adjoining building. Yesterday afternoon a good many people motored out to view the damaged building. The outer walls were still standing but inside was a mass of twisted iron and blackened machinery. The buildings and plant of the company are insured under a general policy held by the New Zealand and South British Insurance Companies. The contents which were destroyed were partially covered by insurance. The company will carry on with killing operations to-day. By using Mathieson’s wooldrier at Kennington and by assistance rendered by other companies it is hoped to deal with the products previously treated in the building which was destroyed. General Managers Statement. “The fire destroyed a portion of the fellmongery building where the wool driers, bins and baling appliances were housed,” said Mr Alex Derbie, general manager of the company, when interviewed by a Southland Times reporter yesterday. “That particular section is completely burnt out and at a rough estimate will take the best part of £3OOO to replace. It is difficult to estimate the extent of the damage to the two wool driers (one a Petrie and the other an Anderson), but it is hoped that one of these will be reconditioned at an early date to enable at least a portion of the work to be carried on. The Power wool press has been destroyed, together with the necessary plant such as skin washing dolleys, motors, shafting pulleys and belting. As yet, it is impossible to estimate the loss of wool in bins, woolpacks and chemicals. Over and above the amounts covered by insurance there will be a loss to face; but the major loss represented by a dislocation in that particular adjunct of the industry is inestimable. Meanwhile we are dependent on our friends elsewhere to give temporary assistance in the matter of handling partially processed skins to enable the killing to be continued without any serious interruption. “In this unfortunate happening one thing has been very forcibly demonstrated and that is the absolute necessity for parapet walls as a means of a fire break. Had this department been otherwise constructed, there is no doubt that the fire would not have been confined to this particular portion of the works, but that the cooperage, tallow and manure departments would have been destroyed also. “As an eye witness I would like to pay a tribute to the splendid assistance of employees and residents of the district who all worked hard into the early hours of the morning and who, under the supervision of Mr Falconer, the works manager, and Mr Galbraith, the chief engineer, accomplished great work in confining the blaze to that particular building.”