EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 280, 25 November 1937, Page 8

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

FIRE AT AUCKLAND MOTOR BODY WORKS DESTROYED COMPANY’S HEAVY LOSS [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, Nov. 24. More than £40,000 worth of damage was done by a fire which broke out in the motor body building works 01 Cavanagh and Company, Ltd., importers and manufacturers of truck spare parts, St. Martins Lane, at o o’clock this morning. The insurances are held by the company and by the owners of the trucks and service cars that were destroyed to the value ot about £20,000 and the net loss to the company is estimated by the manag-ing-director, Mr Charles Cavanagh, to be over £20,000.

The building was completely destroyed, 16 trucks, service cars ana chassis were lost and 60 kits of workmen’s tools valued at about £2OOO were lost. Neighbouring buildings haa several windows melted or broken and walls slightly scorched and haa it not been for the determined efforts of 40 firemen, the main building of the company, fronting Symonds Street, and connected with the destroyed factory by a wooden staircase, would probably have caught alight. As it was the rear portion was scorched and all the windows were broken.

Mr Cavanagh said his company held insurances of about £ll,OOO with the New Zealand, South British, Norwich Union and Royal Insurance Companies. Of this about £3OOO was for the building the remainder for work in progress, plant, machinery and materials. Several insurances held by customers on their trucks and cars would come to about £9OOO. The alarm was received at 3 o’clock and two engines were immediately dispatched. A few minutes later two more engines, one from Parnell and one from Western Districts, arrivea and for 15 minutes, with five leads in play, the firemen had an anxious time trying to control the tremendous flames. Because of the extent of the fire, it could not be defintely asceitained what caused the outbreak bu*. an explosion soon after the stari caused the flames to fan out and start to run right through the building. This and subsequent explosions from petrol tanks, oil drums, and oxyacetylene cylinders wakened persons in nearby houses from their sleep and could even be heard up to half a mile away. Streams of spectators continued to come from all directions to watch the fire until well after daylight and policemen had to be stationed on Symonds Street to prevent motor-cars from running across the hoses. Grafton Bridge was used as a vantage point by many and at least 600 persons watched the fire from about 3.15 a.m. until after 4 o’clock. So intense was the heat and so high were the flames that the glow and the huge pall ol oil-laden .‘moke could be seen from the waterfront in one direction and from beyond Newmarket in the other. Even after the 40 firemen had gained control over the flames after 15 minutes, explosions continued to occur and the sky was bright red tor two hours later.

The outbreak was definitely under control about 3.20 a.m., but no efforts could prevent the building, which was ablaze from end to end when the first engines arrived, from being destroyed and small "spot” fires still had to be watched to-day. Two trucks which had been brought out of the building by neighbours caught fire as they siood on the other side of St. Martins Lane and in the building were to be seen the bodies of other trucks and cars burning fiercely. The walls ol the building quickly burned out ana collapsed, followed by roof, so that the interior was revealed as a mass of sweeping flame and smoke with the red hot chassis of burning cars and trucks glowing like embers inside. Mr Cavanagh stated that he could not state definitely what had caused the outbreak but ne thought it rnay have been commenced by a short circuit in the electrical equipment. The fire would not stop the firm from carrying on its business in the usual manner and he was indebted to a number of other coachbuilding firms for the offers made to allow him the use of their premises.