January 22, 2009

The quick response of firefighters saved a category two historic building in Arrowtown, and others near it, from being destroyed by fire last night.
Appliances from Arrowtown, Queenstown and Frankton were called to the Stables Restaurant about 9.10pm. Smoke and flames could be seen coming from the building.
Restaurant duty manager Marieke de Geest said she smelt smoke and a fellow staff member ran upstairs to find the clothes dryer filled with flames.
Ms de Geest said she told patrons, including visitor Malcolm Troop who was celebrating his 50th birthday, to evacuate the smoke-filled restaurant.
Mr Troop said he was about to blow out the candles on his birthday cake when he heard the call to evacuate the restaurant, so he called emergency services.
'They were here in about three minutes,' he said.
Firefighters, concerned to get the flames under control before they engulfed the largely wooden interior, broke windows in the top storey to get access.
The fire was brought under control within about 30 minutes of the callout.
Arrowtown deputy chief fire officer Wayne Patterson praised his firefighters.
If appliances had arrived any later, other historic buildings close by would have been in danger of catching fire as well, he said.
The largely schist building was built in 1873, as a stable.
It has a category two listing with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Arrowtown resident and Queenstown District Historical Society member Malcolm Boote said last night. 'It's a significant building _ let's just hope it's survivable,' he said.