THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: Fire causes £20,000 worth of damage on Queen’s Island

A very destructive fire broke out at Queen’s Island between nine and ten o’clock on Monday, 25 November, 1918, reported the News Letter and lead to at least £20,000 worth of damage being caused.

The premises which were caught up in the blaze were the large north platform shed which was situated in the main yard of Messrs Harland & Wolff, and they had consisted of a series of bays.

Lofty in structure, noted the News Letter’s correspondent, they stood between the river and the great gantry, where the Titanic and several other huge ships had been built by the shipyard.

Describing the outbreak of the blaze, the paper’s correspondent wrote: “Bursting out with great fury, they [the flames] made rapid headway, and it was easily seen that the fire would be difficult to extinguish.” The fire brigade turned out in full strength but despite this “the flames, getting a firm hold at such a vital part of the immense works, threatened for a time to have a most disastrous consequences.”

Even for experienced fire-fighters, added the News Letter, “the situation that presented itself to them was not a very promising one” as the seat of the fire had become “like a roaring furnace”.

Included in the damage caused by the fire was the special electric plant that was used to power the yard, the paper noted: “The loss of which will mean a great inconvenience.”