FIRE FOLLOWS EXPLOSION

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1930, Page 9

FIRE FOLLOWS EXPLOSION

HASTINGS GARAGE BURNEB ’ | • , ■•.• ■ ' ' THIRTY VEHICLES DESTROYED,' . ' , 1 SPECTACULAR CONFLAGRATION. By Telegraph—Press Association. , Hastings, December 3. About 30 cars,-only two or .three of which were new, were destroyed b yi& , , fire which, following a violent explosion* apparently caused by benzine, comp e ly gutted a two-storied wood and iron • annexe to J<B. Peach and Company g garage at the corner of Eastoourne Street and Karamu Road, Hastings, in the early hours of the. morning. v The fire was one of the fiercest and most spectacular seen in Hastings during recent years, and in ten minutes had done its destructive work. The flames lit up the whole, neighbourhood so vividly that it seemed at first as though even' the buildings across the street were ablaze. - : The brigade was quickly on the scene and did magnificent work against heavy odds. The main part of the garage, m which a very , large number of cars was stored, was separated from the annexe by a thick wall and was not affected except by smoke and water. The annexe was an old building, at one time ~j known as Sorenson’s Building. Constable McCall was on beat duty when his attention was attracted by a violent explosion. Ho immediately gave . the alarm. ■ • C. Eberhard, manager of the garage, was putting his car away in the garage when the first explosion occurred, and, _>(,? according to himself,, “picked himself, up from the middle of the road. . A resident nearby said she was awakened by an explosion, followed by . ’ . another a few minutes afterwards, She . then saw the building a mass of flames. The cars and trucks' burnt were all second-hand, except two trucks. _ The fire, while.it lasted, was. an awe-inspir-ing spectacle. The heat from the blaz- v, ing building was intense and the explo* Bions' shook the police station, about -150 yards away. "" '