Fire Destroys Hotel; Guests Lost Heavily

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 January 1949, Page 5

Fire Destroys Hotel; Guests Lost Heavily

WELLINGTON. Last Night (PA). —Eastbourne’s only, hotel, a twostorey brick and wooden building coning 30 bedrooms, was almost completely destroyed by fire which broke out on the second floor shortly before 11 a.m. today, and swept through the premises within a few minutes. Guests and staff indoors escaped injury, but few were able to snatch belongings from the path of the flames. The hotel, owned by Mr. and Mrs. G. R. Clark, was insured with the South British Insurance Company for £6OOO, but the proprietors consider its present replacement value is about £25,000. SUMS OF MONEY LOST. No reliable estimate of the loss suffered by the guests could be made today, although it is known some of them lost considerable sums of money among their personal effects. Besides 40 guests staying in the hotel over the New Year holiday period, permanent guests who reside there during the winter months and leave their heavy baggage stored in the hotel during the summer, were reported to have lost considerable quantities of valuable belongings. Hotel Eastbourne was built in 1925 and later added to. Mr. and Mrs. Clark took over the proprietorship about 18 months ago. Work in the hotel was proceeding normally when the fire was discovered. Tables in the dining room were set for lunch and routine housework was being done. About a dozen guests, among them a girl aged 18 months, were indoors when the lire started. Thee hild was .hurriedly roused from its morning nap by her mother and carried outside. Two other guests were also asleep in their room when awakened by shouts, and escaped. They were ultimately supplied with clothing by neighbours. One elderly lady refused to vacate the burning building without her budgerigar, and at length the bird cage and the owner emerged from a side door a few seconds ahead o. great billow of smoke. COOL SUPERVISION. All the guests interviewed paid tribute to the cool way in which Mrs. Clark supervised the clearing of the guests from the blazing building. When she had made sure all were safely outside, Mrs. Clark got a garden hose and attached it to an outside tap, but then the fire had such a hold that her efforts were futile.

the freight of the fire, shortly after noon, flames were leaping to a height of 40 feet through the wrecked roof. Dense clouds of smoke, rising high against the bush-clad hillside, could be easily seen in Wellington. The building was well ablaze by the time the first fire engine arrived. The superintendent of the Eastbourne Brigade was away on holiday, as were several of the volunteer brigadesmen. The fourth officer, Mr. N. Bennett, was the only man on the engine when it arrived. Within a few minutes tw<s other men were on the scene, one being Mr. J. Drummond, who was the first superintendent of the brigade 25 years ago. A telephone call was made to the Day’s Bay Brigade, which answered the call with one engine.

Assistance was given by many council employees, including several Eastbourne bus drivers. Commenting later on the difficulty of calling members of the volunteer brigade, Mr. Bennett said there was no siren or alarm system which could he used for that purpose, and that all the men had to be telephoned individually.

"We opened the front door to bo confronted by a mass of flames roaring up the staircase,” said Mr. Bennett, who supervised the fire-lighting efforts.” The heat was terrific and forced us to withdraw We then attacked the blaze from an upstairs window, but the fire had too great a hold. Smoke was pouring out of the roof as I went to get the fire engine just after the alarm was given.” BENEVOLENT FUND. The Eastbourne Borough Council was setting up a benevolent fund for the people who had lost heavily in the tire, said the town clerk and general manager of the borough (Mr. J. P. McDavitt) tonight. One donation

of £lO, given anonymously, had already been received by the council. Several English settlers, newly arrived in New Zealand, had also been staying in the hotel.