OPERA HOUSE FIRE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 6, 4 December 1926, Page 8

OPERA HOUSE FIRE

flames spread quickly. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DONE. OCCUPANTS’ NARROW ESCAPE. IVpt Press Association.) ( AUCKLAND. Doc. 4. A disastrous fire broke out in Filer’s Opera House shortly, after 11 o'clock last evening.. being attributed to a fuse blowing out in the . switchyard behind the stage and igniting the curtain from which the flames quickly spread to the upper portion ° f ln be a few Minutes the upper part of the building was like a furnace’. M ith t ® burning of the roof tons of debris were hurled -into the body of die theatre and the major portion of the In an hours hard fight tne r>ri ernde succeeded in bringing completely under control the fire-that threatened to be a serious menace to tire adjoin-in|obauicklf-did the flames spread after the curtain became ablaze that three persons within the building. Mr W A Singe (stage manager) Airs Singe and Mr Diamond (scene artist), had" barely time to escape. Mr Immond received burns on the arms, whde Mr Singe was severely shaken by th6 An eX Sfoa e Uon of the building showed that the stage and its precmciand the family circle suffered most severely from the flames The dress circle was extensively damaged bv wator but the flames did not spread to that portion nor to the stalls. The walls of the building are of brick and this checked the development of the of the members of the Midnight Frolics Company had their pro* perty stored under the stage. tf Full extent of their loss » »<* - V,H known. At least some of the members of the company did not hare their property insured. ( BLAZE IN HOKITIKA. Per Press Association. HOKITIKA, Dec. 4. The Commercial Hotel, of which Mr J L Fowler is licensee, a large wooden two storey building in Revell street was completely destroyed by fire, at one o’clocjt this morning practically all the contents being destroyed. The inmates got out m their night attire. The fire apparently started in the middle of the budding and had a good hold when the alarm was. given. The insurances are not yet avanaole.