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Hero image for Christchurch Fire

Christchurch Fire

Short Film (Full Length) – 1947

E
Exempt
The fire started at about four in the afternoon in the basement of the furniture department, and within 20 minutes the one acre block of buildings was ablaze from top to bottom. There were few shoppers at that time and most of the casualties were employees …
– From the narration
Christchurch firemen fought magnificently. Reinforced by army and air force fire units and volunteers from outlying districts, they used 30 hoses to pump 6,000 gallons of water a minute into the blaze for four hours.
– From the narration
The sympathy of the nation goes to the relatives of those who lost their lives, and to those who suffered in one of the greatest civil tragedies New Zealand has known.
– From the narration