Winery Fire A Mystery
Martinborough (New Zealand):
Fire investigators say there is no way of knowing how the fire that destroyed part of Martinborough's Claddagh winery started.The fire destroyed this year's vintage as well as part of last year's stock of red wine. Martinborough fire chief Garry Jackson said it was one of the biggest fires he had attended."It was huge and it was well under way by the time we got to it. The roof was gone and there was just flames," he said.
The fire started about 3am on Tuesday in the winery, an old prewar woolshed that owners Russell and Suzann Pearless had moved on to the property.Fire investigator Henry Stechman said his team had been through the ruins and it was impossible to say how it had started."It seems likely that it was as a result of the stormy conditions that night," he said."Perhaps one of the lighting units in the shed got blown about or something.
We have ruled out the fire being started deliberately, it looks like just bad luck." Mr Stechman said insurance assessors were now working through the ruins with the Pearlesses, who vowed to have the winery ready for the annual Toast Martinborough festival in November.
22 Sept. 2005
Stuff.co.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3419301a7773,00.html
Martinborough (New Zealand):
Fire investigators say there is no way of knowing how the fire that destroyed part of Martinborough's Claddagh winery started.The fire destroyed this year's vintage as well as part of last year's stock of red wine. Martinborough fire chief Garry Jackson said it was one of the biggest fires he had attended."It was huge and it was well under way by the time we got to it. The roof was gone and there was just flames," he said.
The fire started about 3am on Tuesday in the winery, an old prewar woolshed that owners Russell and Suzann Pearless had moved on to the property.Fire investigator Henry Stechman said his team had been through the ruins and it was impossible to say how it had started."It seems likely that it was as a result of the stormy conditions that night," he said."Perhaps one of the lighting units in the shed got blown about or something.
We have ruled out the fire being started deliberately, it looks like just bad luck." Mr Stechman said insurance assessors were now working through the ruins with the Pearlesses, who vowed to have the winery ready for the annual Toast Martinborough festival in November.
22 Sept. 2005
Stuff.co.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3419301a7773,00.html
