FIRE IN PAPER MILLS

Southland Times, Issue 23741, 13 February 1939, Page 7

FIRE IN PAPER MILLS

OUTBREAK AT WHAKATANE (United Press Association) WHAKATANE, February 11. A fire occurred at Whakatane paper mills waste-paper store at 1 o’clock this morning. Three hundred tons of waste paper were destroyed and the concrete building gutted. The alarm was given at 1.30 o’clock and the brigade travelled five miles to the mill which is outside their area. It worked from 2 o’clock and was still fighting the outbreak at 8 o’clock, but it was then under control. Water had to be pumped from an adjacent river. The manager, Mr Horrocks, stated that it was fully insured in the Norwich Union for £2500. The cause is unknown, but it is thought the fire may have been due to spontaneous combustion in the tightly packed paper required to begin cardboard manufacture in March. KAKANUI LIME WORKS DESTROYED (United Press Association) OAMARU, February 11. A fire occurred late last night in the Kakanui works of McDonald’s Oamaru Lime Company, destroying part of the buildings and plant. The insurances in the North British Office total over £6OOO.

A loss is inevitable, but the company saved essential plant to maintain a regular output of lime for freezing works and builders.

The output of land lime will be temporarily dislocated.