AUCKLAND FIRE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22201, 19 February 1942, Page 6

AUCKLAND FIRE

Caused By Short Circuit FINDING OF COMMISSION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 18. The report of the commission of inquiry (Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M.) into the fire at John Burns, Ltd., in Auckland in August last, says of the cause that “clear evidence” showed that an unregistered Wireman caused a short circuit while working on a switchboard. Had the switchboard been in order, nothing would have happened other than a blown fuse, but the commission found that the board was not in order. The commission expressed the opinion that the brigade did everything necessary to combat the fire and did its work well, and that the brigade was properly organised, equipped and trained and that the water supply was adequate. The report expresses the opinion that closer supervision and control must be exercised over the location of electrical equipment and its installation, and attention is drawn to the failure of the Power Board to make inspections of the Installations as required by law at intervals of not less than five years. A number of recommendations in general in regard to fires includes, besides the provision for easy escape, that escape drills should be held in all factories and other buildings where large numbers of people are employed, that, in cities, brigades should send two machines and a ladder to all calls m the higher fire risk area, and not change the staff in the watchroom until all necessary orders have been given in respect to the particular fire io which the brigade had been called. In regard to the report, the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) said to-day that a full copy has been sent to the Government departments and various bodies concerned in one or more sections of the report.