Heavy Loss in Fire in Noumea
pp. 113-114 · Read in the full issue
Only the shells of two large umea warehouses remained after = fire broke out in them on the irning of June 23. They were xk and concrete structures, re
cently completed, and they carried much merchandise, just discharged from the MM liner Tahitien. The buildings and goods were owned by Maison Barrau, and the loss is
estimated in millions of francs.
Noumea’s inadequate fire-fighting equipment could not control the flames which, driven by a westerly wind, threatened a large residential area. So 500 yards of fire hose was run out from the Tahitien, and ’the ship’s powerful pumps assisted materially in checking the flames.
It was ill-fortune for Maison
Barrau; but it could have been worse because if the usual South-Easter had been blowing, the big firm’s main stores could scarcely have escaped. (Photo by Fred Dunn.)