Police Carry On Search to Find Victims.

The Star-Sun, Nov 19, 1947. p. 1.

With forty-seven people missing, believed dead, two injured, and property loss of more than 500,000, disaster struck with incredible swiftness late yesterday afternoon to destroy Ballantyne’s entire store on the corner of Cashel and Colombo Streets.

It was the city's greatest tragedy. Striking like wildfire, the flames were right through the acre block within fifteen minutes of the alarm at 3.46 p.m., trapping staff and shoppers at the busiest time of the day.

Piteous scenes, were witnessed as people jumped from upper floor windows, or appeared, briefly, only to fall back into the flames.

A gigantic maelstrom of flame leaped 300 feet into the air for more than half an hour, punctuated with violent, surging outbursts as parts of the roof and floors fell in. Flames spouted from windows all round the block and sealed the way of escape for many.

The full degree of the disaster was not realised until towards 6 p.m. when a party of police was able to enter the gutted building from Colombo Street and seek the remains of several victims. After dark, until operations were suspended at 8.30, the gruesome task of recovering the bodies continued.

Again this morning, parties were at work, particularly in the south-east corner of the building, where many bodies were intermingled with debris from the upper doors.
After this debris had been cleared, many more remains were found near the main entrance to the shop, and about the entrance half-way down the Colombo Street frontage.

No one was able to account for the amazing rapidity with which the flames engulfed the building.

Although he would not hazard a guess on the origin of the fire this morning, the Superintendent of the Christchurch Fire Brigade (Mr A. Morrison) said that it appeared to him to have started in the cellar or basement.

Deep as the tragedy was one aspect made it even more so. Two of the missing persons, Miss J. M. Lloyd, the youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs S. C. Lloyd, of Papanui, and Mr W. S. McKibbin, only son of Mr and Mrs V. J. McKibbin, of Cashmere, had intended to announce their engagement last night.

Those classified in the official list as doubtful casualties had not been transferred to the main list of missing persons this afternoon, but no word had been obtained of their whereabouts, and it was considered possible that they also were among the victims.
The remains of two, or possibly three persons were found about the centre of the building this afternoon. This brings the total of known dead up to thirty-six or thirty-seven.