Last Survivor of Fire Underwent Terrible Ordeal

The Star-Sun, Nov 19, 1947. p.4.

Seared by flames licking out from the blazing cauldron behind him, the last man to escape from the third storey at Ballantyne’s yesterday had two hoses played on him to protect him until a ladder could be set up. His rescue brought a cheer from spectator's massed in Colombo Street, who had earlier seen two girls escape from the same floor.

Describing the scene as "ghastly," Mr C. D W. L. Sheppard said that the man who endured the ordeal was Mr Kenneth Ballantyne, a director of the firm. Of the girls who escaped, one fell or jumped to the verandah above the show windows. The other, heeding the urgent calls of the firemen, waited for a ladder.

Speaking of the startling suddenness with which an apparently minor outbreak became a blaze in a matter of minutes, both Mr L. W. Payne, a city business man, of Mersey Street, and Mrs J. Murphy, of Leinster Road, who was about to enter the building, said that girls in the top storey obviously had no idea of their danger.

"They seemed to be taking only a casual interest." said Mr Payne. Then the smoke, billowing out from below, practically hid them, and they screamed "Help!" and waved their handkerchiefs."

Up to that time Mrs Murphy thought that smoke coming out of an upper window was merely from a machine working there, but she found the door of the shop shut and could not enter.

Fall, To Verandah

Climbing on to the window ledge, the two girls, screaming for help, apparently did not hear the shouts of firemen rushing to hoist a ladder to them. One either jumped, or fell, to the roof of the verandah above the show windows.

"She fell behind the ridge of the verandah," said Mr Payne, "and only her legs were visible. A civilian went up a ladder and dropped her to people on the road."

This girl appeared to be severely injured and was one of those removed by an ambulance, said Mr Sheppard.

The other girl stayed where she was, and firemen played hoses on her until a ladder was placed in position for her to escape.

Then there was a groan from the crowd when a man was seen waving his handkerchief through the smoke almost obscuring a third storey window. In searing heat, which could be felt fifty yards away, firemen charged across the street, placed a ladder up to the verandah and swarmed up it to place a second ladder in position for the rescue.

Hosed by Firemen

Spectators were appalled to see that it was too short. As the man crouched grimly on the ledge, firemen played two hoses on him to afford what protection they could.
Almost obscured by smoke, the firemen worked frantically to get a longer ladder up as flames billowed from the first floor windows. The trapped man was obviously on the point of collapse, but held out pluckily, and there was a cheer of relief as he came down.

His rescue was effected none too soon, for only minutes later, accompanied by a menacing crackle, sheets of blue flame swept along the shop front as power lines burned out.

The lines snapped with sharp reports, and spectators on the opposite footpath scattered in fear as the white, electrical flames flared out against the orange mass of the burning building.

Civilians and servicemen were quick to do what they could to help the firebrigadesmen in the almost hopeless task that confronted them and an officer of the R.N.Z.A.F. was one of the first volunteers to lend a hand with a lead of hose at the intersection of Colombo and Cashel Streets.

On the Cashel Street frontage another Air Force man, Mr F. S. Davis, who is stationed at Wigram made gallant efforts towards saving whoever he could. Braving the intense heat he mounted a ladder to the first door and burst into the tearoom.

"I tried to tell the men and women what to do, but they just looked at me," he said afterwards. "They did not take any notice, and just seemed bemused. I managed to get two girls out of the building, but the firemen would not let me go back again."
When the fire had gutted most of the lower part of the building and the top floor was a roaring furnace, a girl was seen at one of the windows, said spectators.
She screamed pitifully, swayed backwards and was not seen again.