Loading...
535-03 Page 167(Staff Photo by Bob Timms) FIRE. STARTED IN it kit a ; i�8 l.rvww,n :� n 8 ca The gutted Metropolitan Stores block in Tillson- fire Wednesday. Its second storey is considered o 'burg is rapidly crumbling under blows from work- hazard to traffic below. Residents of eight second „en's hammers and long poles wielded from street storey apartments, including 12 children, were left •vel. The block was ripped by a half -million dollar homeless. 11 Fallen Water Pressure . Restored In 5 Minutes By W. T. COLLINS this point that yesterday's breaker Sentinel -Review Staff Reporter switch failure occured. The fire which raged through FAMILIES A the Mabee Block in downtown Till- There were nine families burned sonburg Wednesday began when out who had been residents of the the fat in a deep frier of a restau- apartments. Six other families rant burst into flames, were driven out of apartment dwellings by smoke. Of the 15 fam- Five places of business and at flies affected by the fire there were',,,,�i Least nine apartments were gutted at least a dozen children ranging:ny in the Maze. Estimates of the In ages from one to 13. All persons ha, damage done run as high as li�jl in the apartments were warned a million dollars. No one was m- by the heavy smoke and escaped jured in the fire which started uninjured. Very few private pos. about 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday. sessions were removed. The Mabee Block is situated on Families left homeless included: the east corner at the junction of Mrs. Milmine, James Woodford, Highways 3 and 19 in Tillsonburg. Mrs. Ellen Rohrer, Milton J. The Astoria Cafe where the fire Smith, Donald Trelfy, J. B. Long, began is in the centre of the busi. Mrs. Vanderlind, Mrs. V. Camp• ness on that block. bell and Mrs. Crossitt. LESS THAN MINUTE An official of the Metropolit Sit Ga Sun, an employee of the Stores in London, Harold Johnst, Astoria Cafe, who was in the kitch- told the Sentinel -Review this morn en of the restaurant at the time, ing that he had no idea as to the said fat in a deep frier caught fire. extent of the damage. "No valua: The flames spread over the kitchen ion has been made as yet," he in less than a minute said Sit Ga stated, and we can't tell until we Sun in broken English and with look at the records. It is a total gestures suiting his statements. loss." Insurance coverage was OIL DRUMS carried, he said. The fire spread from the blaz- ing kitchen through a back door The Metropolitan Stores owned where it enveloped two large the Mabee Block, Mr. Johnston drums of oil. The type of oil and stated. Ted Ross, manager in Till. the owner have not yet been identi- sonburg,'has been in that position fied. The drums burst with an for five years. explosive force that sent flames Decision on rebuilding would shooting through the Metropolitan have to wait return of the company Store, the largest single business of president, J. H. Unger, who is the Mabee Block, which is owned away and a meeting of the board by Metropolitan Stores. The ex- of directors, Mr. Johnston said. plosion had earlier given rise to STILL PLAY WATER rumors that the fire had started with an explosion. This morning firemen still play- ed water from two heavy hose PUMP FAILURE lines on the still smouldering ruins. The restaurant employee said the This morning the Comstock fire was well underway when the Company converting Tillsonburg to firemen arrived. Firemen were de. 60 cycle power moved into the layed when an electrical failure at main street with vehicles as they the town's- pumping station pre- carried out their program in the vented the operation of a pump immediately adjacent areas to used for fire purposes. fire wreckage. Police and firemen PUC Manager Stanley Webster had barricaded about half of the said this morning the pump failure street around the gutted corner at the Lake Lisgar pumping stat- slowing down highway traffic on ion was caused when an instantan. Highways 3 and -9. eous load threw a breaker switch. The pump and motor had been in- stalled only the day before. Mr. Webster explained that tight pack- ing on the pump plus new bearings with an immediate demand for high pressure on the main resulted in too high an instantaneous load. The operator immediately turned to the auxiliary gasoline motor. Comstock officials said this morn- ing that Hugh Orr, the superintend. ent who was at the scene of the fire when it started, noticed the low pressure in the hose lines. He Los went immediately to the pumping I station, determined the fault and t blocked the breaker switch across. PRESSURE house a reMdID Brigades Pump house rernrds show that water pressure had dropped to 67 pounds. With the new 60 cycle mot, or and pump back in operation ie rce Fire pressure rose to 90 pounds. The lapse of time according to the mechanical recording device was five minutes. AEL O'MEARA I I7 Mr. Webster explained that Till-' staff Repo stem is fire protection water sy-ul 31 re lIl a restaurant stem s. separate from other con - onion and fierce blaze today sumers. The system works on a Y pressured tank and network of s at the main intersection and mains. Immediately on a fire alarm ther000 loss. fire pumps are started. It was atldistrict departments battled .,-.-.._ _ _ . o contain it within fire walls at either end of the business block. It was termed the worst conflagration this community has seen in 60 years —when fire in the same location destroyed two city blocks of the business section.