BLAZE AT PORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17189, 5 November 1923, Page 11

BLAZE AT PORT.

THREE SHOPS DESTROYED. Three fiity-year.old shops were des* troyed in Lyttelton on Saturday night, two of them being burned to the ground. The blaze was the most distructive in the. last twentv vears. All ; the shops were in the business area of the port, London Street, and only six doors away from Dodds's, Yvhcrc the disastrous and tragic fire took place two years ago. Shortly after the big Lyttelton conflagration of 1870. the three shops were rebuilt. Two of the shops were used by J. 11. Collins as a furnishing warehouse and fancy goods store; and the walls, which are. composed of concrete and pieces of rock, still stand. They impeded the spread of the flames a great deal on Saturdav The other shop was occupied by L. Blackler, boot repairer. The three places, which were of the single storey type with basements at the back, were owned by Mr J. 11. Collins. On the front there, is a high concrete sign. Yvhich, being unsupported by a steel girder, was in a perilous position, when the wood underneath burnt away and the intense heat cracked the concrete. The buildings were built on a slope and were iron covered, like so many of the older buildings. From London Street the premises had the appearance of not having been erected so many years ago: new and modern shop fronts built about fi\-e years ago altered the old appearance. Now, all that remains are three walls, a part, of a shop front, much charred woodwork and a black mass of burned boots, alarm clocks, linoleum and glassware and an olla podrida of fancy goods. The alarm was given at 9.30 p.m. and those who made a hurried exit from their homes and business places into London Street could only see a few feet in front of them, the smoke, rising from e\ rerywhere, densely filling the streets. The fire engine was coming out of the station a second after the bell commenced to ring and before seY*eral minutes had passed twenty volunteer firemen of the brigade, under Superintendent YV. G. Carson, who had been at the Harbour Lights Theatre, had nine leads playing on to the furniture warehouse. The Yvarehouse is next to D. Mahar, draper. Only smoke was belching upwards. Then with a glare which illuminated the surrounding hills, the flames shot up. They rose from the back of the shop and began to play against tbe iron wall of Mahar's premises. A light southed}- came up and the flames were fanned in an opposite direction along wooden walls at the rear. The pressure of water, which was drawn from the middle level supply was diminishing so only six leads Yvere used. The flames had got a good hold and Yvhen they reached the fancy goods shop, there was a barrage of ammunition. The boxes of cartridges on the shel\-es i were discharged and at the explosions the crowd on the other, side of the street scattered, fearing that the shot would carry their way. The Christmas stock of Chinese crackers also provided a miniature explosion. At this stage, the possibilitv of the spread of the fire to YV. S. Mitchell’s tobacconist and hairdressing saloon, separated by a brick wall and a narrow alleyway from Blackler’s looked remote. If it had caught lire, nothing *could have stopped the fire from spreading along the row of shops. The situation looked so bad that the people who occupied a shop several doors away removed some of their furniture on to the footpath. But the firemen were fighting the fire well. The volunteers fire party of twelve men. under FirstLieutenant i’. Churchill, from lI.M S. Laburnum. YY'hen the flames were seen from ,the. ship, the partv with grapnels and axes were despatched to the lire. Their services were invalu able. Attention was concentrated on Blaeklers’ s'fypp by the majority of the meij, who stopped the flames from spreading to the other row of old wooden buildings. It was not till after two and a half hours’ hard work that the flames Yvere Yvell under control The fire was not completelv subdued till 1 a.m. Lyttelton was Yvithout electric light for an hour during the fire. The electric wires on the. street began to burn and fuse, so Lyttelton No. 2 supply Yvas cut off, as there was r* danger that the live wires would fall on the street. The smoke from the fire drifted in volumes, into the Harbour Lights Theatre, directly opposite. Several of the audience scented a fire. One woman endeavoured to dash for the door, but a cool Jack Tar bade her, in peremptory tones to “sit down ! ” The operator kept his machine going, although the smoke and heat in the operating box were suffocating. And then the lights went out. Even then only a few of the audience knew that the humid fog which had floated in through the top windows was smoke from a great blaze only a chain away. It Yvas fortunate that no temperamental or highly excitable person was among the audience for many people thought that the electric current had failed. They were greatly surprised to sec the blaze when they left the theatre before the programme could be finished. Mr Blackler's insurance policy on his machinery and furniture, which was stored in the basement, expired only | four days before and was not covered ! again. He saved nothing. His loss I is estimated at £250. j The insurances on the buildings total | £1250—£500 on the furniture warehouse, j and £525 on the fancy goods and re- ; pair shops. Mr Collins, who was at | Diamond Harbour when the fire started, will lose considerably on his stock, for it was insured for only two-thirds of its Yalue. The exact amount is not yet ascertainable. The only thing saved was a box of tools. It was taken from the burning building by Mr Collins's son. Yvho dashed into the shop.