RAZED BY FIRE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21573, 8 February 1940, Page 6

RAZED BY FIRE

RANGITIKEI DAIRY FACTORY By Telegraph—Press Association WANGANUI, February 7. Fire broke out in the boiler room of the Rangitikei Co-operative Dairy Company’s factory building near Bulls late this afternoon and, fanned by a strong north-westerly wind, destroyed the building and most of the plant within an hour. Nobody was working in the building at the time and a farmer living nearby raised the alarm. The manager of the factory, Mr C. V. Green, and his staff, made a great effort to save the building but without water and equipped only with fire extinguishers they could not do much. The boiler room was situated at the northern end of the factory and thus the wind carried the fire right through the whole building. Lorries and office furniture and papers were saved by the staff. A storeroom about 40 yards away from the factory was saved. Arrangements will be made for cream from suppliers to the factory to be handled in the meantime by other companies, probably the Rongotea and Wangaehu. The lorries having been saved, the Rangitikei Company will thus be able to handle the transport of home separated cream to the two factories mentioned. The company will be a big loser. Details of the insurances are not available to-night. Although the building destroyed was an old one, it had been added to from time to time and made up-to-date. It was situated on the main north road about a mile on the Wanganui side of Bulls.