Community Contributed

Fires - Shannon

Kete Horowhenua2020-03-23T16:54:47+00:00
Fires were a big threat to early New Zealand towns ...

... and was the reason many buildings did not survive until the present day. Papers Past provides newspaper reports of many of these fires - some of these include:

Date Location Premises Reported Damage
15 February 1894 Near Shannon Bush fire near Shannon - a Maori whare and new house erected by Mr Haselden burnt. Houses burnt.
16 December 1894 Shannon Storeroom in the rear of Mr. V. White's residence. Destroyed.
23 September 1895 Balance Street Mr Oldfields billiard saloon Nothing could be done to save anything.
24 July 1901
Shannon Mr Carter's house
Destroyed.
27 August 1901 Shannon Four-roomed house occupied by Mr. P. Swan. Destroyed.
30 November 1903 Shannon Flaxmills at Shannon - owned by Williams and Vickers and Bennet and Hamer. Destroyed.
13 November 1904
Shannon Moynihan's Club Hotel
Nothing saved.
16 January 1909 Shannon The stables and storeroom at the Albion Hotel, Shannon. Destroyed.
16 May 1910 Shannon A row of buildings adjoining Stansell's auction mart. The fire' broke out in Monteith's billiard saloon, and spread to the Silver Grid. Stansell's auction rooms, and a boarding house, which' were all destroyed. Destroyed.
16 January 1912 Shannon Schmidt's and Saunder's old sawmills. A large quantity of 'seasoned timber' was destroyed
5 April 1913 Shannon Lightening fuses wires - Shannon Post Office. All the wires burnt out
21 May 1914 Shannon Merwood's refreshment rooms, Hook's billiard saloon, Jenkins' saddlery, and Richardson's butchery. Destroyed.
28 July 1915 Shannon Albion Hotel Building was completely destroyed.
24 April 1922 Shannon Four shops occupied by Burr (tobacconist and billiard loom), Mrs. Coakley (tea rooms), Watterston (plumber.), and Thwaites (chemist). Destroyed.
7 November 1924 Shannon Walter Clifford Flogdell, charged with arson at Shannon, pleaded guilty. Flames being quelled before much damage was done.
15 January 1926 Shannon Residence of Mr. B. J. S. Brann, manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Shannon Totally destroyed.
18 January 1927 Shannon Large block of 3 shops occupied by: Aitcheson and Son (grocers), another by G. C. Young (cycle shop), and the third was vacant. Destroyed.
3 May 1931 Shannon Two shops occupied by Mr. S. A. Roach, baker, and Hiug Lee. 2 shops destroyed
10 March 1933 Miranui Miranui Flax Mill's block of flax - nearly 200 acres destroyed. Serious flax fire

Related Items