TIMBER YARDS DESTROYED

Southland Times, Issue 24597, 20 November 1941, Page 6

TIMBER YARDS DESTROYED

£lO,OOO FIRE DAMAGE AT CHRISTCHURCH MODERN SAWMILLING PLANT RUINED (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 19. Half a city block was razed to the ground early this morning when the timber yards and the mill of C. S. McCully, Ltd., at the corner of Tuam and Montreal streets caught fire. The outbreak was first noticed about 1.20 a.m. and the brigade was on the scene within a few minutes, but by then tile fire had such a strong hold that there wa: no hope of doing anything beyond attempting to confine it to the timber yard. The damage was estimated at more than £lO,OOO. The occupants of six houses adjoining the yards moved hurriedly into the street in their night attire, taking a few personal belongings. One of them, named Port, had to be roused from his room by the police, who found him slightly cut by falling glass. Soon after the outer brick wall of McCully’s premises fell on this cottage. Fireman Norman Phelan was injured about 2.10 a.m., when the north wall of McCully’s premises fell out into the street. He is a married man with two children. He had to be taken from under the collapsed brick wall and was admitted to hospital. RESIDENTS LEAVE HOMES From the start, for most of the spectators, interest was not in the fate of the timber yard, which was an unbroken mass of flames, but in the houses—three in Montreal street and three in St. Asaph street. With their bedding and furniture stacked in the street, the occupants of these houses stood in their night attire watching their homes, just beyond which the fire blazed fiercely. Right against the high brick wall of McCully’s in Montreal street, was one house occupied by Mr Port. Missing him when she was out in the street and the house was already endangered by the wall, Mrs Port told the police and three constables went in and found him cut about the face, but preparing to leave. Not long after they all left the house ” was almost demolished by the falling wall. After this it caught fire. By 1 .35 a.m. the blaze was so great that it threw a flare of light on the Cathedral spire half a mile away.

From the Montreal street side of the timber yard the fire spread east and north. The offices of McCully, Ltd., were burning strongly at 1.40, by which time the whole of the company’s area was ablaze.

The nightwatchman for McCully’s, Mr Halkett, reported that the fire started when a spark from the boiler, blown out by the wind, fell on the skirting and fanned by a sudden gust of wind, immediately caused the fire. Mr Halkett obtained a bucket of water but within a few seconds, he said, the flames were everywhere.

HAMPERED BY HEAT When the brigade arrived the fire had to be attacked from many points at once to prevent it spreading. Six engines were brought out and leads of hose were taken to all points where it was possible to protect the adjoining property. The heat was so great that it was difficult to approach anywhere near the main fire, but the firemen penetrated deep into the premises wherever they could. The wooden outer - walls of McCully’s office fell into the street about 2 a.m. Twenty minutes later the brick wall in Tuam street fell out, pinning Fireman Phelan under - its debris and slightly injuring another fireman on a knee. Another alarm was raised about 2 o’clock when smoke and flames were seen coming from the back of W. A. McLaren and Company, Ltd., motor engineers, 108 St. Asaph street. Their premises were packed with motor-cars and trucks, and with petrol pumps and oil drums close at hand were immediately opposite the burning buildings. Firemen at once broke the lock on the door and in a short time the blaze was put out, lea-inf' only a few smouldering sack-.

PLANT COMPLETELY RUINED When daylight came the whole of McCully’s area of nearly two acres was a smouldering ruin with only the gaunt frames of the giant bandsaws standing. For hours after the main fire was extinguished firemen poured jets of water on the ruins, from which clouds of smoke and stear.i enveloped the district.

“Our modern joinery and sawmilling plant has been completely ruined by fire,” said Mi - J. Booth, manager of C. S. McCully, Ltd. One of the biggest losses, he said, was the band-sawing plant, which was used to cut raw pinus logs into timber. The whole plant was a total loss. In addition three timberdrying kilns were glutted. That loss was serious as the firm relied upon them for supplies of dry timber.

Even more serious was the loss of three full racks of selected dry timber, rimu and beech, that was estimated to be worth thousands of pounds and would be an important factor in deciding whether the firm would make a fresh start. Three trucks were also destroyed in the fire.