New Zealand's Worst Fire: Ballantynes Department Store | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

[@FascinatingHorror]

This is the second department store fire that I've covered on this channel; there's also the Woolworths Fire of 1979, which took place in the UK. Here's a link if you want to watch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKqxdGeYm79oi5I

[@katecosgrove5804]

My mother remembers standing out side in the street when she was a teenager watching the people in the windows calling for help. It was a truly terrible day.

[@CoraBuhlert]

Have you considered covering the 1968 A l'Innovation department store fire in Brussels, which is still one of the worst department store fires worldwide with more than three hundred dead?

[@mck5050]

Please can you do a story any other disaster that has happened in New Zealand?

[@inconnu4961]

@Therealroutemaster Doe it REALLY matter, though? Cant you find OTHER things to be upset about, than what anonymous strangers SAY in the comment section on the internet?

[@fondilmabols7781]

Fun not so fun fact the fire service in nz uses the code k41 for fatalities. The code is in memory of the 41 deaths from this fire

[@rapman5791]

Interesting

[@thurayya8905]

Wow.

[@mumm380]

Thank you for that - something i didn't know

[@nyxviliana]

Interesting. Recently FENZ (Fire Emergency New Zealand) released radio traffic of the immediate aftermath of our fatal aftershock. I remember hearing the code for fatalities on scene, but understanding the history of the code makes it all the more haunting.

[@dr.aculasdad2713]

Also - K47 is the radio-code for 'finished at scene'. This is a subtle inference for, "never again".. This fire tragedy was the impetus for the creation of the New Zealand Fire Service (now FENZ) taking the place of all the disparate independent Municipal Fire Brigades.

[@ahill4642]

If we’ve learned anything from Fascinating Horror’s educational videos, it’s if there’s smoke or fire *leave immediately.* Fire is fast and sinister and not to be underestimated.

[@DebTheDevastator]

Also, know your exits and be willing to push past anyone trying to stop you from using that exit.

[@hopefletcher7420]

​@@DebTheDevastatorI started a new job on the 24th floor of a 60 story building. On my first day , the first thing my new supervisor said was "Where are the exits?" She made sure all her staff knew all the ways to get out of the building.

[@hishouha]

That’s why, no matter how many fire alarms we got in our apartment building, we always evacuate. Just in case one day it might save our lives.

[@kelf114]

My grandfather and all four of my uncles were all firefighters. Fire safety was positively drilled into my head. The first thing I do when I go to a new place is to scope out the exits.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

​@@hopefletcher7420 on 60th floor, sorry, you're gonna croak. You could have a plane. Smoke that SHOULD have gone out but got stuck in the hallway (Chicago), locked doors in hallway (Chicago)...and Stay put, we'll come get you! (Grenfell towers fire).

[@ImmortalKat4ever]

That poor Air Force guy probably felt bad that more people didn't follow, but he went out of his way to be brave and helpful. Props to him.

[@Vaginaninja]

Propellers?

[@ikonic_artworks]

imagine sitting there and someone randomly busts in attempting to inform you of an emergency/save your life, just to be like "lol nah"

[@galdavonalgerri2101]

@@ikonic_artworks > magine ... someone randomly busts in And this someone does not have any uniform, but is a civilian person! Hard to imagine.

[@ikonic_artworks]

@@galdavonalgerri2101 ok? I feel like the sound of chaos and sirens, and the smell of smoke, would probably be a good indicator that the person was telling the truth. personally I'd gtfo

[@regan3873]

I’m really confused by that. I know people can be not rational sometimes but surely he shouted fire or something and if so how did they not freak out?!

[@satyrisci]

My grandma was in this fire, lucky to have survived. My Poppa picked her up on his bicycle. She passed in 2022.

[@LevadeNZ]

Hugs, I'm glad she made it. My great grandfather lived a couple blocks over at the time, and ran to see what he could do. He ended up just having to watch ladies jump. It haunted him all his life.

[@JillH419]

My grandmother was working in town near there, fortunately she wasn’t in the building. Many years later I worked at DIC Beaths, across the road from Ballantynes.

[@tukamadafuka]

My grandma was also in the fire, she was 19 or 20 I think. She never spoke of if though

[@Jesterjones9073]

@@LevadeNZoh, that is awful. I am so sorry he had to live with this horror. 😢

[@stacked7476]

My grandmother too.

[@Blippity_Bloop64]

That comment about saving the paperwork was fascinating. Many years ago, I was the sys admin at a company that sent backup tapes to offisite storage. On pick-up days, I would put the correct tapes in metal boxes for the delivery guy. The boxes were relatively small, easily carried by the handles. One day, the fire alarm went off. I got up to leave and noticed that the boxes were right next to my desk, ready to go. I picked them up and carried them outside with me to the parking lot. The owner of the company (this was a smallish) noticed the boxes and said, "Don't you EVER grab those again!" He was quite cross, but I appreciated him for having the correct priorities regarding his employees.

[@johndoe-so2ef]

He didn't care about you, he figured it would be easier to pad the insurance claim if the records were burned.

[@Tishers]

@@johndoe-so2ef Stupid comment, any sysadmin knows that there is more than one set of backups. Losing the most recent set would do nothing to hide endemic corruption that is recorded on computer backups. Go play your conspiracy games somewhere else.

[@sockjim9016]

​@@johndoe-so2ef So? The effect would be the same either way: the employees would get out safely, regardless of whether or not the boss was prioritizing their lives or the insurance claims.

[@chaminadecrew79]

@@johndoe-so2ef cry more

[@colincampbell767]

People have a habit of doing what they would normally do in an emergency if they have not been given instructions beforehand. Look at all the people who take their luggage with them when evacuating an airplane.

[@exodous02]

This seems insane to me. No matter where or how big a fire is in a building I'm getting the heck out of it.

[@Salicat99]

Yeah, I was at my local mall last week, and the fire alarm went off. Probably a "prank". I didn't wait around to find out. Most people left, but some decided not to. I do not understand that.

[@radioactivegaming7532]

That is pretty much a given now, but back then may have been different.

[@radioactivegaming7532]

Kind of like how people used to smoke in buildings in the States. Like now, if you see smoke in a hotel hall, you pretty much know its a fire, but 50 years ago, it could have been cigars or cigarettes.

[@eywine.7762]

Several years ago, the building where my company leases office space had some problem with the hvac system that caused it to smoke. (No flames.) As our office is on the top (3rd) floor, we and the other tenants on that level were the ones who were directly affected. The entire building was evacuated. The fire department came, put a stop to the smoldering before it could burst into flame and no one was injured. The landlord had repairs made within a week. I never again complained about the fire drills they made us do.

[@cindys.9688]

​@@radioactivegaming7532~True.

[@faenethlorhalien]

Telling staff to "stand by" is just criminal

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

In many large buildings, you get 2 alarms - the standby alarm and the evacuation alarm.

[@danielkarlsson9326]

It was considered a localized basement fire when those orders was given. Frankly if everyone had been told to run for your life and the fire was indeed only a local basement fire then there would have been multiple crush deaths for no reason whatsoever. The decisions by the firebrigade and the companmy was sound with the information they had.

[@ytzpilot]

Same thing happened during 911, the North Tower was hit first, people in the South Tower were told to stand by, also the resent Greenfield Tower disaster, people told to stay in there apartments because the fire wasn’t supposed to spread from unit to unit, but the entire building was engulfed rapidly. Modern policies haven’t really changed

[@F40PH-2CAT]

​@@ytzpilotthankfully the chief of security of my employer told us to ignore said directions and evacuate. He died. 7 of his employees died. But thanks to him all but 2 of nearly 6000 of my fellow coworkers survived.

[@Project2013B]

Reminds me of the time we had a fire safety seminar. Key point was to leave immediately after seeing a fire. The CEO's stooge was bewildered and wondered WHY we shouldn't stay behind and put the fire out ourselves.

[@grizzy-thekiwi1144]

ayyy one about my country...oh no, one about my country

[@corpselikecreature]

I had the same reaction lmao OH shit! Aotearoa! oh, shit... Aotearoa :/

[@dottiegillespie8067]

Oh no sorry.

[@GeoffInfield]

Same bro 😥 Heard references to it from time to time growing up and I can see why now eh.

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

It's OK I'm from the US. Specifically Illinois.

[@heathermilne3493]

I hear you. Was just in Bally's a week ago.

[@QueSara1111]

Had the old Ballantynes store not burnt down it likely would have collapsed in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, which destroyed most old and even new buildings in the CBD. I believe the rebuilt Bally's was one of the structures that did survive.

[@suefergusson5351]

That's correct didn't even lose the glass in the big windows and always has great displays in their windows in the Xmas season

[@megatronacepticon]

The worst thing that happened to Bally's in the earthquakes was the 4.9 one on December 26, 2010 when the power went out and all the lights went off, right in the middle of the big Boxing Day sales. There are windows that let some natural light in, but not a lot, and none in the basement area. But you're right, were those old buildings still there it could have been a lot worse.

[@liamholmes8487]

I believe when they built the current Ballantyne's, they HAD intended to add future stories on top. What earthquake-proofing they had installed was therefore intended for a taller structure, and some theorise that's why it did okay in the quakes.

[@QueSara1111]

@suefergusson5351 considering most of the victims of the earthquake in the CBD died due to falling masonary, a big old building like the original could have killed many when the 2011 quake hit in the middle of the day.

[@Roisty09]

Great comment, crazy that it is still here today!

[@megatronacepticon]

My grandmother watched them fight the fire from the roof of the building she worked in. Someone she worked with had a father who worked in Ballantyne's. On the morning of the fire he told his daughter that he had something to tell her after work, but he ultimately died in the fire and didn't get to tell her whatever it was. It has been a long time since I heard the story so I might have some details wrong.

[@StargazerLily82]

OMG she had to always wonder what he was going to say.

[@ImplodedAtom]

Stories like that really help to give a human perspective to tragedies like this one. Thank you for sharing.

[@thurayya8905]

These are the types of human stories that get lost. Thank you for taking the time to put it down.

[@aspenmgy]

He was going to tell her she wasn't a bastard. Her mom was Lyanna Stark.

[@poshmum]

​@aspenmgy what a really immature and insensitive thing to say.

[@ecm84ee]

Is no one going to mention the fact the workers were locked in???? The credit office was locked, the stairwells were locked forcing the employees to jump or die unable to get out. This was covered up. The bosses locked the doors so no one stole anything or would leave early.

[@Trund27]

Evil corporate scumbags.

[@taraelizabethdensley9475]

Oh gosh! That is horrifying. RIP to those who died 🙏

[@corvinredacted]

Reminds me of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. They had similarly locked all emergency exits to prevent theft and unsanctioned smoke breaks. The fire was thought to be caused by an employee smoking at their station (apparently a common practice despite being against the rules). Naturally, the manager with the keys escaped just fine, making no attempt to help the hundreds of people he had locked inside.

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

Oh my God!!😢

[@sarahsarah3945]

My Grandmother was 5 years old and out shopping with her mother that day. They had left Ballyentine's not long before the fire broke out and to this day she vividly remembers watching it all unfold from the other side of the street. She also remembers her mother crying because she knew several people who worked there.

[@alyssataylorsversion13]

did your great grandmother's friends survive?

[@sarahsarah3945]

@@alyssataylorsversion13 I know she lost at least one

[@vustvaleo8068]

the people are so unaware of the fire that they still enjoy tea and find the Air Force guy who warned them about said fire not taken seriously, yikes!

[@FoxArris]

Reminds me of the Titanic. Early on in the sinking a lot of passengers didn't believe it was a big deal worth getting out of bed and into life boats.

[@prismpyre7653]

that's how most people behave... that's how people *ARE* behaving right now in re climate change among other things

[@RepresentWV]

@prismpyre alright, how is a citizen supposed to act about climate change and environmental crises when the vast majority of pollution is caused by huge companies that pump out waste at a blistering speed, and when the science behind these problems is such a mystery for most people? Who REALLY needs to act here?

[@nuaru100]

@@RepresentWV All of us have to act! Sadly, ain't gonna happen. Too many are blinded by con artist CEOs and leaders who have convinced them that the ship isn't sinking, the building is not on fire, the planet is dying.

[@Teverell]

The whole thing reminded me strongly of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire (also covered on this channel) and it was only when I saw your comment that I realised why - the Air Force guy reminded me of the young waiter at that other fire who also tried to warn patrons enjoying dinner that the building was on fire and they needed to get out.

[@springray2323]

The credit office employees perishing in the fire because they had to spend so long saving documents and typewriters is maddening. And of course the boss who made them do this survived.

[@Varangian_af_Scaniae]

Why does thatr upset you? The rich and successful guy survived to continue to be rich and successful. The guys moving documents were just unsuccessful peons. What would have changed if they survived? Nothing because they are plentiful.

[@ArchTeryx00]

Usually I'm 100% in agreement, but in this case, the boss's rescue was absolutely pure luck, as he was the *last* one to be pulled alive from the store, and with severe burns to boot. He had no idea how bad the fire really was until it was too late even for HIM to evacuate, and if not for that stroke of luck, would have burned right along with his workers. The total lack of situational awareness, along with a set of buildings as flammable as any other in 1947, was the real culprit.

[@patientallison]

​@@Varangian_af_ScaniaeAre you saying someone's life is worth more because they have money?

[@ARockRaider]

​@@patientallison no, they are being snarky about a cosmic injustice.

[@ArchTeryx00]

@@patientallisonHe took action afterward to help the next of kin, and tried to rebuild his store to be one of the most fireproof in NZ. He didn't lobby against new fire codes - he *helped write them.* And as a result, Ballentynes still exists and still is highly successful today.

[@yakacm]

Could you imagine surviving WW2, just to die a couple of years later in the 'safety' of your own home town, while out doing a bit of shopping?

[@ameliaward2022]

I had a great aunt die in that fire. She tried to get other staff out. She was a window dresser and had a promising future in art

[@fizzao1342]

Poor lady. I am so sorry.

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

Dear God.... that's so sad. 😢

[@daniTise3270]

my grandmother worked opposite Ballantynes at the time of the fire, she saw people she was friends jumping to their deaths and had to assist in identifying remains afterwards

[@captainsensiblejr.]

A big thank you to the archivists of the photos, films and the building plans for keeping them preserved for us to see today.

[@corvinredacted]

Hopefully, they didn't have to risk their lives in a fire to preserve them😬

[@daisy8297]

My mother was a buyer for Ladies Fashion in the 70s, and I worked in the glove and scarf department during the school holidays. Hard to believe there was an entire section dedicated to gloves and scarves! 30 years later, my niece worked there during holidays as well. Ballantynes had a strict dress code for staff, and was deemed to be the most upmarket store in the South Island. Members of the Ballantyne family still ruled the roost as they occupied all the managerial positions. It was a lovely place to work, I have very fond memories of it fifty years later

[@kgoulding1237]

I shouldn't be happy NZ is featured, but much love from NZ!🇳🇿

[@essiebessie661]

Hello from Florida, USA. Did you see the one about the canyon overlook collapse?

[@kgoulding1237]

@essiebessie661 yes, started checking out old kids on this channel as it seems good :)

[@capcompass9298]

@@essiebessie661 Cave Creek. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2Kzn6xogrWBfbM

[@inconnu4961]

Much love TO New Zealand!

[@gmoo84]

My Granny worked there during this. I have a photo of her with the 'Ladies fire party' taken shortly before ( all the staff learning what to do in a fire funnily). She never spoke about it. Ever.

[@reachandler3655]

Only 2 people in the tea room took the warning seriously and left? Crazy how many seem to think fire is a joke. Did they subsequently get out safely?

[@dannysplace7]

They all got out. "Of the 41 who died, 38 were staff, two were external auditors and one was from the Retail Salesmanship College."

[@martinemartin4779]

Thank you for sharing this story. My great, great aunt died in that fire. 😔😔 We have to remember that this was a different time. A World War had not long finished and the country was still experiencing deprivation. There was a lot wrong when it came to safety and managing personnel. The same could be said of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch. In the first earthquake in September 2010 - it was huge and frightening, but we didn't see much outward damage. Then we had tons of earthquakes and started to learn to live with them somewhat. Then in a subsequent earthquake in February 2011, there was so much damage and 185 people died. Now everything has to be earthquake strengthened and buildings must be up to code to be inhabited. The only thing we can do is mourn our loved ones and learn from what happened.

[@littlebear274]

For context for international viewers, most of the 185 (117, specifically, about 60%) died in a single building which collapsed completely due to poor design. It came out afterwards that the engineer who did a lot of the design work had never designed a building more than two storeys high before and was left to work unsupervised when he should have had more senior guidance, and the man who oversaw the building's construction had straight up faked his engineering degree by stealing a friend's identity!

[@jaydee9593]

@@littlebear274😮

[@classicmicroscopy9398]

Hearing the history of these people and places, how much went into building them up, the lives of those who helped, really helps you feel the weight of when it all comes down.

[@SakuraAsranArt]

A member of my family worked at Ballantynes as a cleaner in the 1980s. He and many others who worked there in the decades following the fire experienced strange, unexplained sounds, the smell of smoke and some claimed to have seen the ghostly figures of victims of the fire. I'm a complete skeptic so I don't believe Ballantynes was haunted but there are many who do believe it.

[@BrickNewton]

I worked there twice in the early 2000s and never had any of those experiences. Even in the original stables building on Lichfeild st

[@TransistorBased]

Old buildings tend to have weird sounds and sometimes smells that have lingered for ages. May even have radon or carbon monoxide issues

[@adamcoe]

There's actually an easy way to tell if your department store is haunted: it isn't! - jimmy carr

[@JillH419]

@@TransistorBased most of the old buildings were pulled down and new one built.

[@sailormoonfan224]

That still happens today. The last time I was at my local mall, the fire alarms went off, and continued to go off. Bright strobe lights, loud noises-the works. Workers left, and so did I. There were so few people in that parking lot I was stunned. You could see through the entryway windows, people were still shopping as if nothing was happening. It was surreal. Thankfully, it was a small electrical fire far on the other side of the building, and it didn’t reach the department store where. However, it was jarring to see just how many people didn’t seem to be aware or care. Just because you don’t see smoke or fire doesn’t mean it’s not there. Fire spreads quick, it’s not something you want to mess with.

[@pielittlepony]

I feel like a lot of people missed the part where the people on the upper floor were initially told it was a small, contained fire all the way in the basement and it was safe to stay put. It's easy to say they were stupid in hindsight, but it makes sense that at least some of them would be like "yeah, we know there's a fire. We're safe here though" and took a little while to process that the situation had changed.

[@nikkoy.1340]

It's truly uncanny how, even though I had never heard of this particular disaster before, so many of the elements and factors in it appeared so familiar to me as a Belgian. In 1967, some twenty years after the Christchurch Ballantynes fire, a very similar department store fire occurred in Brussels, Belgium. "À L'Innovation" was a department story which had been opened in 1901 in the center of the city. In the decades that followed, the original store had expanded to include much of the block, creating a maze of different buildings united into a singular complex, with some parts dating back to the 19th century, and the most recent additions dating from the 1930s. In the early afternoon of May 22nd 1967 a fire erupted in a storage room built in a converted disused lift shaft, which went unnoticed for some time. Much like in the case of Ballantynes, what appeared a controllable fire escalated into an inferno in minutes; like Ballantynes, the fire caught staff and customers unaware (including many in the store's third-floor restaurant); and like Ballantynes, narrow streets surrounding the department store (although in the case of the Innovation fire, worsened by parked cars) prevented the fire department from effectively intervening. Unlike Ballantynes, though, the toll was much, much higher, with 251 killed and 62 injured. The cause of the fire was never truly established; the scale of the disaster and death toll was exacerbated by a number of factors, including the confusing internal lay-out of the building (including many dead-end passages and blocked-off doors and windows due to decades of additions, expansions and conversions); lack of fire training of the staff; a corporate culture of 'solving everything internally' (which resulted in the first call to the city's fire department being made only ten minutes after the first signs of fire were noticed, and by somebody outside of the department store); the lack of a centralised fire alarm; an unfortunate coincidence of one of the fire bells sounding just as staff were expecting to hear the bell to sound the end of the lunch break; the design of the main building (built around a large glass roof that acted as a chimney to the fire when it exploded); the wares displayed in the store (including many highly flammable materials which also had a secondary effect of creating toxic smoke); and finally, the weather of that day (with strong winds, the intensity of which was only increased by the maze of narrow streets around the department store).

[@kaz1015]

uncanny how similar these department store fires are

[@nea415]

“Save the paperwork and typewriters! Don’t worry about yourselves!” 🙄

[@danielkarlsson9326]

It is a normal procedure to this day when there is a localized fire in a diffrent part of the building to secure important material. The logic was sound given the information they had. Now if the fire Brigade had issued a full emergency evacuation of the whole area then it would have been another case. But alas not even the firefighter thought the fire was this grand.

[@Youser999]

​@@danielkarlsson9326Are you a descendant of Ballantyne or something? You keep defending him in the comments. Ok, capitalist/bourgeois shill 🙄

[@k.c1126]

I've read that the guy who gave those instructions had problems sleeping for the rest of his life... But that might be urban legend.

[@dfuher968]

He followed normal procedure. Their information was, that there was a localized fire in another part of the building. And he clearly believed that, since he did not leave his employees to save himself. He eventually survived, but with injuries.

[@ArchTeryx00]

In this rare case it was done in good faith. The one that gave the order, Ken Ballantyne, ended up trapped himself and was injured in the fire. His rescue was pretty much pure luck; everyone else they tried to rescue after him died. The real problem was that nobody had situational awareness until the fire backdrafted beyond the basement and rapidly started consuming the rest of the store. By then, it was too late for many to evacuate.

[@georgem3456]

At 7:11 and 9:03 fighting a monster fire while holding a cigarette in your mouth. That is priceless and says sooo much about those times 😆

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

I noticed that too! 😅

[@SmolAliens]

I just want to say thank you for making mini-docs that are well researched, respectful, and not stretched out for ad revenue. Breath of fresh air in the current KZbin landscape.

[@BrickNewton]

7:39 my great uncle is in that photo, he was a volunteer fireman and saw the smoke and biked into town to help. I worked in Ballantynes in the early 2000,s and they take their fire drills and fire safety very seriously. I was a searcher and had an area to check for anyone left behind. And had to be done in a certain time

[@garyb6219]

Odd that some of the firemen in those photos had cigarettes in their mouths.

[@alyssataylorsversion13]

​@@garyb6219not really. smoking was VERY popular in the 40s, and EVERYONE smoked.

[@garyb6219]

@@alyssataylorsversion13 I know that. But while putting out a fire? Odd.

[@ryuzakitodoroki2604]

As a non English speaker, watching your videos has helped me to understand the meaning of new words and how to pronounce them.

[@basbleupeaunoire]

This reminds me of the woman who escaped WTC because she ignored what her boss said. I'm such a rule-follower. But her story helped snap me out of that.

[@paulak7963]

Unfortunately there are so many tragic stories like this one, where people did what they were told by someone "higher up" and lost their lives because of it. Jobs were so valuable back in those days, especially for women they were probably to scared to not listen. So sad

[@colbyhalker5359]

For real, my job has a fire plan that involves not leaving the building but doing a ‘horizontal evacuation’ first. When I do the training for this I also remind people that they can still leave if they feel unsafe and meet in the designated spot, they can’t stop you from leaving and you won’t be in trouble for it. I know I’m certainly going to leave if there is ever a real fire.

[@magdalena_dewinter]

wow it’s so crazy to see something that directly affected my family be talked about. multiple generations of my family have worked in this store, going all the way back to my great grandmother. she was a worker when this fire happened, thank goodness she was not on shift when it happened, but sadly of course many of her friends were.

[@pennybedggood4126]

I am born and bred in New Zealand, and although too young to remember this personally it was still part of our schooling. Thank you for the respect and dignity you've shown reporting this tragedy. Christchurch has faced much worse since, but is still proudly regarded by all New Zealanders as the Most English city outside of England.

[@teresabotkins4983]

Watching this channel has made me exceptionally wary of anyone who says, "stay put and await further instructions." Yeah, no, I'm out!

[@mariebelladonna437]

This! You can always go back in, if you find out everything's okay. But if you wait, you may not make it out at all. So if I feel I'm in an unsafe situation, I'm not hesitating to go to somewhere I AM safe. (And if a company doesn't like that, they're not a company I want to work for.) This channel in particular has made me aware of not just how many people become trapped and die of burns or smoke inhalation because they waited too long, but also of how many have died in stampedes, crushes, or jammed doorways, when they wait and/or try to move with the "herd", so to speak. I've become much more aware of my surroundings, and of points of egress OTHER than the main exits, when I'm out places. And I always try to have a plan. Sometimes you simply can't. Sometimes, in a place where there's just too many people (like a concert at a crowded arena), I know it's mostly up to God and luck. So, though I still try to be as aware as I can, in those cases, I mostly just say a prayer and hope for the best. But if I'm in a situation where I know I can get out, if there's an emergency, I make sure I know my options. And I don't wait.

[@karenneill9109]

@@mariebelladonna437So true! I’ve learned to look for alternate exits, know to move sideways across a pressing crowd, to hide behind pillars in a crush, etc. And yes- any hint of smoke, alarms, cracks in buildings, and I’m OUT.

[@BenWeaver0]

That photo at 7:12 is crazy fighting fires with ciggies in their mouths. Never heard about this thanks for sharing some of Aotearoas history

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Not surprising. Times were very different then. Everyone smoked, all the time, even in bed! My mum told me of several people who died because they fell asleep while smoking.

[@jonyemm]

The cigarette filtered the air

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

@@jonyemm some people definitely thought so! Lol 😂

[@truracer20]

@@scottlewisparsons9551 it was even used in advertising. Just like the modern 'second hand smoke is worse than first hand smoke'. Propaganda is real, and it's still employed and believed.

[@seanodwyer4322]

@@jonyemm one billion humans killed by tobbacco so far - Vapes next on hit list

[@ShaleNinja]

Damn, Christchurch can't catch a break, can it? I'd heard of this fire, but didn't know the gruesome details. Awesome coverage, thank you. Pretty surreal seeing NZ feature, especially the city I just moved to... Wild to consider that if this fire hadn't happened, those buildings would likely have collapsed in the quakes and taken hundreds more lives in the process.

[@sleazymeezy]

Welcome to chch bro, soz about the traffic. Pretty sure we have the rudest most impatient drivers in the country. It's a great city tho, I'd say the best in the country.

[@seanodwyer4322]

@@sleazymeezy hate scooters in auckland 24/7 on footpaths and upp my arse iff unlucky too be on footpath s 24/7 here

[@dannysplace7]

@@sleazymeezy Clearly you haven't driven in Auckland. Just try and leave a 2 second gap on the southern motorway and see what happens!

[@marcomcdowell8861]

I'd imagine if someone came through a window and said the building was on fire, I'd probably not be bemused, and would heed him.

[@andreagriffiths3512]

Fires are terrifying

[@seanodwyer4322]

barn burn down in 1968 - too close too whare

[@pheadrus7621]

In New Zealand the fire department uses the code K41 (in honour of the 41 people who died in this fire) to indicate that there has been a fatality.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

The history of the entire complex is incredible, but hearing the chain of mistakes, even for 1947 frustrates me and the loopholes that the company was able to use. Thankfully they were closed after the fact but considering that just a few years earlier they had plans in place for what to do in the event of a fire or attack, then let it lapse once hostilities were over to the point of removing the klaxons and sprinklers says a lot.

[@AuntyStan]

Ballantyne’s is still open to this day. Expensive as shop tho. The earthquakes in Feb of 2021 damaged the facade and the pergola memorial of the fire, both of which have been since restored

[@maddyc2412]

Do you mean 2011?

[@joeomalley1969]

bizarrely this and Munns Menswear got me into dicasts as a child Bally's had a good stock of Majorette cars and Munns used to have cheap Matchbox Super Kings

[@AuntyStan]

@@maddyc2412 whoops yes, didnt notice my typo

[@AuntyStan]

@@joeomalley1969 I only remember the window display from a child

[@angriella]

My best mate's mother was a survivor of the fire, I asked her about it, she was happy to talk. It was the 50th anniversary of the fire. She was a real sweetie, if you wanted to draw a sweet little old lady she was your model! She spoke, I listened, but my jaw hit the floor when she cursed the B. family to hell! After 50 years the anger was still white hot...

[@martinharris5017]

As a resident of Christchurch and a history buff I thanks you humbly for this. Amazingly, a great deal of the architecture pictured still stood until the 2011 earthquakes. However the same disaster uncovered some of the old ornate, hand-painted signage on brickwork that had been hidden for decades behind more modern facades. I heard about the Ballantynes fire from my great aunties when I first moved to NZ but this is the first detailed documentary I've seen on the subject.

[@markjarrett9400]

In the city that I live in. Tragic story has not been forgotten There is an amazing book called 'Gardens of fire' by Stevan Eldred-Grigg that is worth reading if you want to find out more.

[@YellowFreesias]

There was a film made in the last 10 years but I can't remember what it was called; it was a hard watch

[@RB-qq1ky]

⁠@@YellowFreesias Is it the TVNZ movie titled ‘Ablaze’ (2019)?

[@FinnishLapphund]

That fire engines was prevented from getting up close to the building by a veranda, for some reason reminded me about that in the old parts of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, the fire brigade have done test runs with all their vehicles, so that if/when there's a fire there, they already know which of their vehicles that are able to get to which streets. But back to this fire, one of the several crazy parts of this fire (ETA which stood out to me), was that the fire brigade not only once, without twice, had to direct parts of their efforts away from the fire, and instead use their water hoses on the onlookers due to safety reasons.

[@yukiefromoz2573]

Imagine telling everyone to get out because there is a fire but they all ignore you 😶

[@crow-jane]

It happens; when the Beverly Hills Supper Club went up, a staff member got on stage and told everyone to evacuate. Lots of folks thought it was an act and stayed where they were.

[@YellowFreesias]

I've worked in retail and had to haul people out the building when the alarm goes off because they want to keep shopping 🙄 Some people have no sense of self-preservation!

[@MoodusOperandi]

7:12 You've got to love this guy distinguishing a fire while having a smoke 😆

[@loganrae6342]

I worked in this department store when I was a student. I consider myself to be quite a rational person but there were parts of the store I refused to go into when I arrived before the store opened (opening shift). Definitely weird vibes. Many of my colleagues swore parts of the store - especially the basement - were haunted. Not sure if I’d go that far, but definitely very unsettling vibes.

[@robertthomson1587]

I've shopped at Ballantyne's a few times when I've been in Christchurch. It has, or had, really good men's clothing. I was aware of the history of the fire. A local told me about it when I mentioned I was going there. They have long memories in Christchurch.

[@sleazymeezy]

For reals dude, don't cut us off in traffic, we hold lifelong grudges 😅

[@beccaf262]

@@sleazymeezyfr Chch drivers are insane lol

[@FruityFruitbat]

My mum got her graduation cap from there in the 60s.

[@AidanOAArch]

As soon as i heard that it was seven different buildings knocked into one my heart sank.

[@eadweard.]

Why?

[@AidanOAArch]

@@eadweard. Because I've worked in places that are, and they either end up as rabbit-warren maze's where it's difficult to find an exit, or they do what they did here and remove internal divisions to create a huge open-plan space where fire can easily spread, often without adding new fire exits or fire doors. The tile of the video let me know to expect a fire, and my experience in these places made me concerned that it'd have one of those two layouts.

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

Here in NZ we dont hide our disasters & for most parts we tend to learn from them. So it was great to hear stores throughout the country started to take safety seriously after this. I was told this story a few times by both my mum & grandmother as I grew up, another one I was told was about a parade where someone was wearing a costume made of cotton balls & a firework was thrown at them, (I think) & when it landed the citton balls caught on fire. That would have been in a similar era.

[@the-chillian]

Safety regulations worldwide are written in blood. It's tragic that some people forget this, seeing regulations as burdensome to no purpose.

[@seanodwyer4322]

Victim Support- Sean O'Dwyer- 140 Hobson Street.- Auckland 1010. new Zealand.''

[@sadflowers]

Very true...

[@sonnyfrizzell8256]

theres a great film about this fire called "Ablaze", its on tvnz, I highly recommend it if you found this vid interesting.

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

Thanks for the recommendation, I will look for it now

[@Shannon-f8w]

Thanks for covering this story, I knew you'd do it well. An extra note about the woman who died when she jumped and hit the pavement- she was preganant. So that was two lives lost in one fall.

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Thank you for another very interesting video. My aunt was one of the Ballantyne’s family. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺

[@Teverell]

I want to say, again, thank you for covering disasters that may not be well-known outside of the community where they happened. Thank you also for the way you cover them, that you show actual pictures of the places involved, the memorials, the names, and exactly what changed and what was put in place as a result of the disaster to try to prevent something similar happening in the future. All of this combined makes your channel one of the best on KZbin.

[@Human-hs8sp]

Been to Ballatynes stores a few times but never knew of this disaster. Christchurch 2011, Pike River, Tangawai, 1855 Earthquake, Loafer's Lodge. not to mention the NZ wars which aren't talked about enough.

[@maddyc2412]

And Wahine

[@YellowFreesias]

I grew up in Chch and we learnt about the fire in Primary School, our neighbour witnessed the fire and thought it was amazing she knew about such "ancient" history

[@Ruenvale]

Grew up in chch and overheard nan mentioning one of her mates died in the fire. Real sad stuff but this was a very interesting watch, nice coverage

[@veryberry39]

Them: "Stand by and await further instructions." Me: "Yeeeaaahhh, that's okay, I think I'm gonna leave."

[@LiveFreeOrDie2A]

This guy must have REALLY loved those tables @9:57 to come sprinting out of the building with one in each hand 😂🤣

[@ThatDrunkenHobo]

Fire and Emergency NZ use K41 as a radio code to indicate a fatality, a reference to the 41 deaths in the Ballantynes fire.

[@korbell1089]

Well thank goodness that they were able to save the business and credit records at least!🙄 The worst part is, it was 30 minutes from the time the fire was noticed until it flashed over but instead of evacuating then the owners and managers decided that they needed to keep those cash registers ringing!

[@hacketthospitality9574]

Interesting fact the New Zealand fire and emergency service have a specific code that they use in case of a death K 41 (fire and emergency use K codes to cut down radio traffic) k41 refers to the victims of this tragedy and is still used today for a fatal incident.

[@bertuccigirl]

Excellent as always. I really like the timeline, somehow it is easier to envision how quickly things like this happen. What a sad story. Anyone else notice the man running way holding a little side table?!!

[@Blue65Tank]

The store is still open today, I grew up in Christchurch and went to the store quite a few times but barely in the last 10 years. It's always nice to see my hometown getting covered.

[@seandelap8587]

Always enjoy a Tuesday morning video by FH

[@eyonfrankston1344]

Fun Fact: The fire also happened on a Tuesday

[@yakacm]

The way Ballantynes expanded to fill the block, is a bit like Rapid Hardware in Liverpool. It started out as 1 small shop in the early 70's, by the millennium it owned near enough every store front on the block. Thus coining the phrase, you've got more front than Rapid Hardware, lol.

[@jasontempest4233]

Wow, I live in Australia and didn't know about the Ballantynes fire. Thank you for creating a video about this.

[@sxmvp]

Have you considered making a video on the Derna Dam collapses? It's relatively recent, the second-deadliest dam failure in history and I didn't see a lot of channels cover it yet

[@kevinquist]

We have a store here. opened in the 1920's my grandpa worked with them. VERY VERY good man. very honest and reputable. literally had shirts out to people who couldn't afford them during the depression. MADE UP JOBS for some, just so they could get a pay check. His son took over and continued this mentality. NOW his Grand kids are running it and they just want growth. at any cost. treat their employees like compete crap. sell crap. and dont care if you got ripped off or have issue. KUDOS to any business that remains honest and good to its community.

[@minirogue1989]

Another fantastic video - you should look at the Granville disaster, worst railway disaster in Australia.

[@multitablez7825]

Kiwi here. Never heard of this disaster. thanks

[@madki113r9]

What angers me is the amount of people who think that fire safety is a joke. I work in the fire protection industry.

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

Basically a big open space lined with and stocked with highly flammable materials and merchandise. Not unlike many others at the time. The much later earthquakes would have got it if the fire didn’t.

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

N.B.: I watched a Fletcher’s ply and panel warehouse in Penrose, Auckland go up around 1974 or so. It was directly across the Southern Motorway from where I lived as a kid. That was spectacular and there was really no stopping it so it was completely destroyed. Fortunately this was at night. A lot of companies then and now kept cardboard and other packaging lying around for handy use, oblivious of the hazards. Not saying this was the cause here, but just making an observation.

[@Ardvards]

1:35 HEY that's my town! Shoutout to Timaru! also (this was a while ago, i was about 11) The Timaru branch had a Christmas display in the window. it was on fire, i thought it was part of the display. Luckily my mother knew better and called the police

[@danielmcdonald1678]

i did a paper on this in high school! love the vid!

[@rodgerpiercearchitect]

…this is my absolute favorite channel…I get beside myself at each new episode…please keep them coming and don’t change anything thanks.

[@bugboibrian167]

Surely also do one on the new Zealand earthquake in Hastings and Napier that happened in the 30's It's super interesting and a massive part of our history

[@mck5050]

Thank you for sharing this tragic story. I heard this story many times growing up. Christchurch is my home city.

[@umbrellacorp.]

Been a while since I've seen this channel. Glad you're doing well. 😎👍💯

[@why....-]

i walk past the old site a lot, just a modern budling over the same site still a balaytines

[@MountainCry]

This is very well-documented with photos and video considering how long ago it was.

[@Hexx_plays03]

I have been waiting for this video since I began watching your stuff years ago. Seeing the videos you had done on Tangiwai and the Cave Creek collapse I knew it was only a matter of time. Thanks for making such great content. Thanks for always being respectful to victims and families.

[@Kiwi-Macca]

There’s an excellent book about the disaster by Stevan Eldred-Grigg called Gardens of Fire. Written like a novel but an amazing captivating read.

[@susanlansdell863]

Thank you, I’ll look for that.xx

[@FruityFruitbat]

@@susanlansdell863 It’s out of print, but I was able to find a copy from an online second hand bookstore.

[@DarrylRuiz-s1w]

Another great presentation and video

[@niceone2903]

I worked with a man in a department store in the 1960s who had been a fireman at this time called to assist in this fire. He told me his calling was in the afternoon. Apparently the heat was so intense you could feel it from Cathedral Square and on the site of the fire metal was melting.

[@MattRoszak]

Crazy how much fire safety has improved in the last 100 years. Stuff like this doesn't seem to happen any more... except in a few places where fire safety regulations have been illegally ignored.

[@ianfox6106]

Thanksfor this video. As New Zealander I would have thought the Tangiwai rail disaster would have been a more likely subject.

[@FruityFruitbat]

@@ianfox6106 He’s done one about that, and also Cave Creek.

[@ianfox6106]

@FruityFruitbat oh yes you are right he has. That shows how new I am to this channel. Thanks.

[@Swampzoid]

Do a documentary on the almost forgotten 1959 Meldrim Georgia disaster. A train plunged from the trestle into sandbar below filled with people swimming and sunbathing. I don't want to give away too many details

[@DogFish-NZ]

as a kiwi this makes me sad 😔🇳🇿 ( kiwi's as in the bird 🔑🟤, not the fruit. they are KIWIFRUIT ! not kiwis. nobody calls grapefruits grapes 🤦‍♂️ lol)

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

kiwifruit can mean 2 things..🤪

[@DogFish-NZ]

​@@ripvanwinkle2002👉👈

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

@@DogFish-NZ honestly if you just renamed your country " The Shire" it would stop this confusion..

[@sharonsmith583]

We DO call the small brown fruits with the green insides kiwis in the US, although officially they might be kiwifruits.

[@YellowFreesias]

​@ripvanwinkle2002 We do call it Aotearoa but need to market the name abroad

[@billlonee9470]

Thank goodness they were able to rescue the millionaire. Bless his heart.

[@acwhit1593]

Do I detect a slight hint of sarcasm? Seriously, though, it is maddening.

[@P_RO_]

@@acwhit1593 If you are from the Southern US, the phrase "Bless your heart" (or "Bless his heart") has an entirely different meaning than what it seems to say. It's not a comment you want directed at you.

[@BirdieRumia]

​@mipmipmipmipmipHe was the last survivor out of the building and barely at that, so I'm inclined to say he was just ignorant of the danger, not callously ordering something he knew was dangerous.

[@Picks_Productions]

I remember doing stock deliveries there. You had to drive into the basement which was lower than ground level. Was kinda cool.

[@skelly4998]

I disagree

[@Picks_Productions]

@@skelly4998 disagree with what?

[@princessmarlena1359]

(F* off, KZbin!) 🎵🎶”Dun-sta-ble, HOUSE, house, house! Dun-sta-ble HOUSE, house, house…”. Forcing the Credit Office employees to secure the paperwork and equipment rather than merely getting out immediately is outrageous. The manager should have been sent to prison for allowing what he did to happen to the employees.

[@k.c1126]

The fire at Ballantyne's entered my consciousness after the Christchurch earthquake some years ago as one of the area's worst disasters to that point. This is one of those disasters that marked a generation of New Zealanders.

[@cliffsaxon5493]

Should Also Look Into The 1978 Waverly, Tennessee Train Explosion

[@punksci6879]

The last words of so many Kiwis, "nah she'll be right".