West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 28 April 1915, page 8


AIOTHER FIRE AT FREi?AILE. BIG BLAZE NARROWLY AVERTED. .1 ... - 4 4 MESSRS. . W.D.- MOORE AND CO.'S WAREHOUSE. But for a timely discovery and the prompt arrival, on the scene of the fire brigade it i: tolerably certain that Fremantle would have lost at least another of its large ware•.ouses by fire yesterday morning. A few minutes after 5 o'clock a fire was discovereu in Messrs. W D. Moore and Co.'s wareaouse in Heary-street.s The alarpn wab received by the brigade at 5.15, and. . ,lose cart and fohr men. und&r toremar, I~osser, immediately turned out. The North eremantie motor was also suminoned. On .rrival the men found the packing om. shich faces Henry-strcat, well alight. Two .isnimt of hose: were run out. but theppresunro of water was so p6or that one line i:ad to. be cut out. The men. were con e.iderably iiandidapped. by .ie dense smoke, vhioh filled the store, but after about hal; an hour's strenuous wqrk the outbreak wa., checko' the damage amounting to 'about £50 or £60. , The orngin of the fire remains a mys tery. After the fire' kt Messrs.' Wood. Son and Co.'s a -little over a week r?: special precautions were taken by Mr. ~s llcore to g~ard ago'st an outbreak of fire 'he p lcetwa}s locked up.on Monday night and. apparently no person had entered i, until after the fire was discovered. Thi fire had a fair hold of the stock when the brigade arrived, and it is fortunau, andeed that it wss discovered before it hau too great a hold! There was a.fairly strone Zoutherl. wind blowing at the time, anl there can be no doubt' that, had it no. been checked early, the fire would have extended to Messrs: D. and J. Fowler' wholesale establishment in the adjoini g building. On the previous day some no tarpaulins had been stored in. the packing room, and it is thought by some that, the fire may' have been .caused by the spoitaneous combustion of these articles. Thl building which was only slightly damaged, was insured, for. £1.900. the fixtures for £200. and the stock for £7,000 with the Norwich Union Company.