FIRES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7322, 7 February 1902, Page 3

FIRES.

SERIOUS OUTBREAK AT NEW

PLYMOUTH. [Pick PiiesS Association.]

NEW PLYMOUTH, Feb. 6.

A serious outbreak of fire occurred ati eight, o'clock to-night id the centre of one of the principal .business blocks in Devon Street, which : threatened at one time to do a very large amount of damage. The upstairs part of the. London Dental Institute and the premises of C. Cotter, photographer, appealed to be ttie seat of ihe fire, and both were thoroughly gutted- The Dresden Piano Company, und^K, Cotteir's, had all their stock cleared out, so that the damage here "was only slight, .- . The other downslairS premies ;were Davies,. land: agent, and Barr-Brbw^, commission agent. The amount of damage to these is not ascertainable, but both places were cleaned out. Grave 'fears were felt at one time for the safety of the Coffee Palace, a large builduig adjoining, -which was full of bpa^erg. Willing 'hands soon removed •<the goods from portions of the buildings Rarest the firerbut fortunately there was np.wjhd, and the Fire Brigade managed to get the flames under bsfore they got through, though the walls were slightly charred. There was a good pressure of water, and, despite the difficult task the Brigade had in dealing with the flames in the intricate passages in the upstairs portion of the burning building, all danger w.as over in about an hour. The insui> lances were not ascertainable beyond Cotrtiei*'^ aS 'the several people affected were 'out of town, the day being a holiday. Cottier had £100 insurance on the* stock in the New Zealand Office, and estimates his. loss atf £300 above this.