BLAZE AT A ZOO

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1933, Page 10

BLAZE AT A ZOO

WILD CAT STARTS FIRE.

OVERTURNING OF OIL STOVE. Fire which destroyed a large part of the amusement park at Southend, Essex, known as the Kursaal, is believed to have been started by a wild cat. . A number of wooden structures were involved, and owing to their highly inflammable nature the blaze spread at an amazing rate. The flames reached a height of 100 ft. and could be seen for miles.

One of the doomed buildings was a miniature zoo, and all the monkeys, snakes, marmots, etc., were burned, except a wild cat (civet cat). It was stated subsequently that the fire was apparently caused by this cat. It got out of its cage and overturned an oil stove used for heating purposes. Then it escaped from the menagerie as soon as the door was smashed in. When the cat’s escape became known keepers with heavy sticks searched the area for it, but without success. The police were notified, and instructions were issued that no attempt should be made to comer the cat, but that- it should be shot on sight. The flames attracted thousands of peo-

ple, and soon the roads leading to the Kursaal were impassable. All police reserves were called out to deal with the crowd, but the pressure was so great that people burst their way through to where the firemen were working. In places they were uncontrollable, and the firemen were compelled to turn their hoses on to them to drive them away. At one stage the rifle range, in which were 250 rounds of ammunition, became involved. Minor explosions caused a stampede among the crowd, and several people were thrown to the ground and trampled on. Ambulance men rendered first aid to many of the victims. One man was so badly hurt that he had to

be taken to hospital. All. the stalls had been stocked for the summer trade, which starts at Whitsun, and the stallholders made a scramble to try .to save their goods. Some of them, threw teddy bears, vases, chocolates and cigarettes into the crowd and hundreds of souvenirs were collected by the spectators. A large part of the area affected was being made into a Zulu village.