£200,000 FACTORY FIRE.

An alarming outbreak of fire occurred yesterday afternoon at the extensive premises of Messrs. Hugh Stevenson and Sons Ltd., cardboard box manufacturers, Summerstown Works, Riversideroad, Summerstown, Tooting, 8.W. Altogether a dozen buildings were involved. Fortunately the 600 employees, two-thirds of whom were women and girls, were all warned in time to enable them to make their escape, but those in the buildings which first caught fire had to make a hurried departure. From inquiries made it appears that the fire must have started outside the building where it originated.

In many instances quite a wide space separated the buildings, but owing to the strong northeasterly wind the fire spread rapidly from one to another in spite of all the efforts of a very large force of the London fire brigade. The total damage is unofficially estimated at £200,000.

To a representative of The Daily Telegraph Mr. A. H. Stevenson stated that 600 workpeople would be thrown out of employment, as the place was practically burnt out, less than one-third remaining unaffected by the fire.

When the first message was received by the brigade just after half-past one o’clock, a district call resulted in the speedy mobilisation of all the available forces in the South-west district, and as the fire was gaining a brigade call was circulated, fire engines being sent on from all parts of London. Mr. A. R. Dyer, the chief officer, and Major C. B. Morris, senior divisional officer, directed the operations of over 200 firemen, with twenty-five motor pumps. The firemen were at work for several hours, and relief parties were sent on last evening to complete the work of extinguishing the fire remaining under the piles of charred debris. The “Grinnell” Automatic Sprinkler has extinguished 34,000 fires at an average loss of £60.