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
@katecosgrove5804Ай бұрын
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.
@CoraBuhlertАй бұрын
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?
@ImmortalKat4everАй бұрын
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.
@VaginaninjaАй бұрын
Propellers?
@ikonic_artworksАй бұрын
imagine sitting there and someone randomly busts in attempting to inform you of an emergency/save your life, just to be like "lol nah"
@galdavonalgerri2101Ай бұрын
@@ikonic_artworks > magine ... someone randomly busts in And this someone does not have any uniform, but is a civilian person! Hard to imagine.
@ikonic_artworksАй бұрын
@@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
@regan387325 күн бұрын
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?!
@fondilmabols7781Ай бұрын
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
@rapman5791Ай бұрын
Interesting
@thurayya8905Ай бұрын
Wow.
@mumm380Ай бұрын
Thank you for that - something i didn't know
@nyxvilianaАй бұрын
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.aculasdad2713Ай бұрын
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.
@satyrisciАй бұрын
My grandma was in this fire, lucky to have survived. My Poppa picked her up on his bicycle. She passed in 2022.
@LevadeNZАй бұрын
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.
@JillH419Ай бұрын
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.
@tukamadafukaАй бұрын
My grandma was also in the fire, she was 19 or 20 I think. She never spoke of if though
@Jesterjones907329 күн бұрын
@@LevadeNZoh, that is awful. I am so sorry he had to live with this horror. 😢
@Blippity_Bloop64Ай бұрын
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-so2efАй бұрын
He didn't care about you, he figured it would be easier to pad the insurance claim if the records were burned.
@TishaHayesАй бұрын
@@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.
@sockjim9016Ай бұрын
@@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.
@chaminadecrew79Ай бұрын
@@johndoe-so2ef cry more
@colincampbell767Ай бұрын
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.
@ahill4642Ай бұрын
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.
@DebTheDevastator24 күн бұрын
Also, know your exits and be willing to push past anyone trying to stop you from using that exit.
@hopefletcher742017 күн бұрын
@@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.
@hishouha16 күн бұрын
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.
@kelf1146 күн бұрын
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.
@grizzy-thekiwi1144Ай бұрын
ayyy one about my country...oh no, one about my country
@corpselikecreatureАй бұрын
I had the same reaction lmao OH shit! Aotearoa! oh, shit... Aotearoa :/
@dottiegillespie8067Ай бұрын
Oh no sorry.
@GeoffInfieldАй бұрын
Same bro 😥 Heard references to it from time to time growing up and I can see why now eh.
@jeffcarroll1990shockАй бұрын
It's OK I'm from the US. Specifically Illinois.
@heathermilne3493Ай бұрын
I hear you. Was just in Bally's a week ago.
@exodous02Ай бұрын
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.
@Salicat99Ай бұрын
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.
@radioactivegaming7532Ай бұрын
That is pretty much a given now, but back then may have been different.
@radioactivegaming7532Ай бұрын
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.7762Ай бұрын
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.9688Ай бұрын
@@radioactivegaming7532~True.
@QueSara1111Ай бұрын
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.
@suefergusson5351Ай бұрын
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
@megatronacepticonАй бұрын
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.
@liamholmes8487Ай бұрын
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.
@QueSara1111Ай бұрын
@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.
@Roisty09Ай бұрын
Great comment, crazy that it is still here today!
@ameliaward2022Ай бұрын
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
@megatronacepticonАй бұрын
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.
@StargazerLily82Ай бұрын
OMG she had to always wonder what he was going to say.
@ImplodedAtomАй бұрын
Stories like that really help to give a human perspective to tragedies like this one. Thank you for sharing.
@thurayya8905Ай бұрын
These are the types of human stories that get lost. Thank you for taking the time to put it down.
@aspenmgyАй бұрын
He was going to tell her she wasn't a bastard. Her mom was Lyanna Stark.
@poshmumАй бұрын
@aspenmgy what a really immature and insensitive thing to say.
@ecm84eeАй бұрын
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.
@Trund2725 күн бұрын
Evil corporate scumbags.
@taraelizabethdensley947523 күн бұрын
Oh gosh! That is horrifying. RIP to those who died 🙏
@corvinredacted4 күн бұрын
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.
@yakacmАй бұрын
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?
@faenethlorhalienАй бұрын
Telling staff to "stand by" is just criminal
@neiloflongbeck5705Ай бұрын
In many large buildings, you get 2 alarms - the standby alarm and the evacuation alarm.
@danielkarlsson9326Ай бұрын
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.
@ytzpilotАй бұрын
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-2CATАй бұрын
@@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.
@pastexpiry2013BАй бұрын
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.
@springray2323Ай бұрын
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_ScaniaeАй бұрын
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.
@ArchTeryx00Ай бұрын
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.
@patientallisonАй бұрын
@@Varangian_af_ScaniaeAre you saying someone's life is worth more because they have money?
@ARockRaiderАй бұрын
@@patientallison no, they are being snarky about a cosmic injustice.
@ArchTeryx00Ай бұрын
@@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.
@vustvaleo8068Ай бұрын
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!
@FoxArrisАй бұрын
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.
@prismpyre7653Ай бұрын
that's how most people behave... that's how people *ARE* behaving right now in re climate change among other things
@RepresentWVАй бұрын
@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?
@nuaru100Ай бұрын
@@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.
@TeverellАй бұрын
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.
@nea415Ай бұрын
“Save the paperwork and typewriters! Don’t worry about yourselves!” 🙄
@danielkarlsson9326Ай бұрын
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.
@Youser999Ай бұрын
@@danielkarlsson9326Are you a descendant of Ballantyne or something? You keep defending him in the comments. Ok, capitalist/bourgeois shill 🙄
@k.c1126Ай бұрын
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.
@dfuher968Ай бұрын
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.
@ArchTeryx00Ай бұрын
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.
@sarahsarah3945Ай бұрын
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.
@alyssataylorsversion13Ай бұрын
did your great grandmother's friends survive?
@sarahsarah3945Ай бұрын
@@alyssataylorsversion13 I know she lost at least one
@captainsensiblejr.Ай бұрын
A big thank you to the archivists of the photos, films and the building plans for keeping them preserved for us to see today.
@corvinredacted4 күн бұрын
Hopefully, they didn't have to risk their lives in a fire to preserve them😬
@daniTise3270Ай бұрын
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
@martinemartin4779Ай бұрын
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.
@littlebear274Ай бұрын
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!
@jaydee9593Ай бұрын
@@littlebear274😮
@reachandler3655Ай бұрын
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?
@dannysplace7Ай бұрын
They all got out. "Of the 41 who died, 38 were staff, two were external auditors and one was from the Retail Salesmanship College."
@classicmicroscopy9398Ай бұрын
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.
@gmoo84Ай бұрын
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.
@kgoulding1237Ай бұрын
I shouldn't be happy NZ is featured, but much love from NZ!🇳🇿
@essiebessie661Ай бұрын
Hello from Florida, USA. Did you see the one about the canyon overlook collapse?
@kgoulding1237Ай бұрын
@essiebessie661 yes, started checking out old kids on this channel as it seems good :)
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).
@sailormoonfan224Ай бұрын
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.
@SakuraAsranArtАй бұрын
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.
@BrickNewtonАй бұрын
I worked there twice in the early 2000s and never had any of those experiences. Even in the original stables building on Lichfeild st
@TransistorBasedАй бұрын
Old buildings tend to have weird sounds and sometimes smells that have lingered for ages. May even have radon or carbon monoxide issues
@adamcoeАй бұрын
There's actually an easy way to tell if your department store is haunted: it isn't! - jimmy carr
@JillH419Ай бұрын
@@TransistorBased most of the old buildings were pulled down and new one built.
@basbleupeaunoireАй бұрын
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.
@paulak7963Ай бұрын
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
@pheadrus7621Ай бұрын
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.
@yukiefromoz2573Ай бұрын
Imagine telling everyone to get out because there is a fire but they all ignore you 😶
@crow-janeАй бұрын
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.
@YellowFreesiasАй бұрын
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!
@magdalena_dewinterАй бұрын
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.
@marcomcdowell8861Ай бұрын
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.
@georgem3456Ай бұрын
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 😆
@daisy8297Ай бұрын
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
@BrickNewtonАй бұрын
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
@garyb6219Ай бұрын
Odd that some of the firemen in those photos had cigarettes in their mouths.
@alyssataylorsversion13Ай бұрын
@@garyb6219not really. smoking was VERY popular in the 40s, and EVERYONE smoked.
@garyb6219Ай бұрын
@@alyssataylorsversion13 I know that. But while putting out a fire? Odd.
@the-chillianАй бұрын
Safety regulations worldwide are written in blood. It's tragic that some people forget this, seeing regulations as burdensome to no purpose.
@seanodwyer4322Ай бұрын
Victim Support- Sean O'Dwyer- 140 Hobson Street.- Auckland 1010. new Zealand.''
@pielittleponyАй бұрын
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.
@jacekatalakis8316Ай бұрын
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.
@ShaleNinjaАй бұрын
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.
@sleazymeezyАй бұрын
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.
@seanodwyer4322Ай бұрын
@@sleazymeezy hate scooters in auckland 24/7 on footpaths and upp my arse iff unlucky too be on footpath s 24/7 here
@dannysplace7Ай бұрын
@@sleazymeezy Clearly you haven't driven in Auckland. Just try and leave a 2 second gap on the southern motorway and see what happens!
@ryuzakitodoroki2604Ай бұрын
As a non English speaker, watching your videos has helped me to understand the meaning of new words and how to pronounce them.
@FinnishLapphundАй бұрын
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.
@AuntyStanАй бұрын
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
@maddyc2412Ай бұрын
Do you mean 2011?
@joeomalley1969Ай бұрын
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
@AuntyStanАй бұрын
@@maddyc2412 whoops yes, didnt notice my typo
@AuntyStanАй бұрын
@@joeomalley1969 I only remember the window display from a child
@teresabotkins4983Ай бұрын
Watching this channel has made me exceptionally wary of anyone who says, "stay put and await further instructions." Yeah, no, I'm out!
@mariebelladonna437Ай бұрын
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.
@karenneill9109Ай бұрын
@@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.
@veryberry39Ай бұрын
Them: "Stand by and await further instructions." Me: "Yeeeaaahhh, that's okay, I think I'm gonna leave."
@markjarrett9400Ай бұрын
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.
@YellowFreesiasАй бұрын
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-qq1kyАй бұрын
@@YellowFreesias Is it the TVNZ movie titled ‘Ablaze’ (2019)?
@andreagriffiths3512Ай бұрын
Fires are terrifying
@seanodwyer4322Ай бұрын
barn burn down in 1968 - too close too whare
@AidanOAArchАй бұрын
As soon as i heard that it was seven different buildings knocked into one my heart sank.
@eadweard.Ай бұрын
Why?
@AidanOAArchАй бұрын
@@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.
@BenWeaver0Ай бұрын
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
@scottlewisparsons9551Ай бұрын
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.
@jonyemmАй бұрын
The cigarette filtered the air
@scottlewisparsons9551Ай бұрын
@@jonyemm some people definitely thought so! Lol 😂
@truracer20Ай бұрын
@@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.
@seanodwyer4322Ай бұрын
@@jonyemm one billion humans killed by tobbacco so far - Vapes next on hit list
@TeverellАй бұрын
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.
@robertthomson1587Ай бұрын
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.
@sleazymeezyАй бұрын
For reals dude, don't cut us off in traffic, we hold lifelong grudges 😅
@beccaf262Ай бұрын
@@sleazymeezyfr Chch drivers are insane lol
@FruityFruitbatАй бұрын
My mum got her graduation cap from there in the 60s.
@my12spoonswithrose43Ай бұрын
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.
@pennybedggood4126Ай бұрын
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.
@sonnyfrizzell8256Ай бұрын
theres a great film about this fire called "Ablaze", its on tvnz, I highly recommend it if you found this vid interesting.
@my12spoonswithrose43Ай бұрын
Thanks for the recommendation, I will look for it now
@martinharris5017Ай бұрын
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.
@hacketthospitality9574Ай бұрын
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.
@ThatDrunkenHoboАй бұрын
Fire and Emergency NZ use K41 as a radio code to indicate a fatality, a reference to the 41 deaths in the Ballantynes fire.
@loganrae6342Ай бұрын
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.
@kevinquistАй бұрын
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.
@korbell1089Ай бұрын
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!
@MoodusOperandiАй бұрын
7:12 You've got to love this guy distinguishing a fire while having a smoke 😆
@madki113r9Ай бұрын
What angers me is the amount of people who think that fire safety is a joke. I work in the fire protection industry.
@seandelap8587Ай бұрын
Always enjoy a Tuesday morning video by FH
@eyonfrankston1344Ай бұрын
Fun Fact: The fire also happened on a Tuesday
@Human-hs8spАй бұрын
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.
@maddyc2412Ай бұрын
And Wahine
@YellowFreesiasАй бұрын
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
@sxmvpАй бұрын
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
@angriellaАй бұрын
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...
@yakacmАй бұрын
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.
@scottlewisparsons9551Ай бұрын
Thank you for another very interesting video. My aunt was one of the Ballantyne’s family. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
@princessmarlena1359Ай бұрын
(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.
@DogFish-NZАй бұрын
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)
@ripvanwinkle2002Ай бұрын
kiwifruit can mean 2 things..🤪
@DogFish-NZАй бұрын
@@ripvanwinkle2002👉👈
@ripvanwinkle2002Ай бұрын
@@DogFish-NZ honestly if you just renamed your country " The Shire" it would stop this confusion..
@sharonsmith583Ай бұрын
We DO call the small brown fruits with the green insides kiwis in the US, although officially they might be kiwifruits.
@YellowFreesiasАй бұрын
@ripvanwinkle2002 We do call it Aotearoa but need to market the name abroad
@ArdvardsАй бұрын
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
@billlonee9470Ай бұрын
Thank goodness they were able to rescue the millionaire. Bless his heart.
@acwhit1593Ай бұрын
Do I detect a slight hint of sarcasm? Seriously, though, it is maddening.
@P_RO_Ай бұрын
@@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.
@BirdieRumiaАй бұрын
@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.
@JCBro-yg8vdАй бұрын
There apparently was a delay between the first sighting of the fire and the fire brigade being called to the scene, and it was later estimated that the delay cost firefighters valuable time that could've allowed for everyone to get out safely.
@RuenvaleАй бұрын
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
@boozypixelsАй бұрын
"The strongroom is safe, and I made huge savings on payroll this week, win win!" - Ken Ballantyne, probably
@MightyMezzoАй бұрын
Now, now, he barely made it out himself.
@Kiwi-MaccaАй бұрын
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.
@susanlansdell863Ай бұрын
Thank you, I’ll look for that.xx
@FruityFruitbatАй бұрын
@@susanlansdell863 It’s out of print, but I was able to find a copy from an online second hand bookstore.
@ThreenaddiesRexMegistusАй бұрын
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.
@minirogue1989Ай бұрын
Another fantastic video - you should look at the Granville disaster, worst railway disaster in Australia.
@punksci6879Ай бұрын
The last words of so many Kiwis, "nah she'll be right".
@SwampzoidАй бұрын
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
@Noah_LevyАй бұрын
Imagine sending people to their deaths to preserve your business documents.
@scottlewisparsons9551Ай бұрын
Of course! It’s only logical, people are expendable, typewriters are expensive! Seriously, thank goodness we have (mostly) different attitudes today and try to look after the workers.
@johndoe-so2efАй бұрын
Nothing has changed
@BirdieRumiaАй бұрын
To be fair to the guy who ordered it, he didn't know the fire was serious at that point, and given that he barely escaped himself it doesn't seem like he just ran off after ordering that.
@wryalways985Ай бұрын
Went on Wikipedia looking for spoilers. This story was made for FH. 😢😢
@searchanddiscoverАй бұрын
"stand by and wait for instructions". these words have appear in so many disasters that i just assume its the words of someone incompetent now.
@suekelley2109Ай бұрын
I can't get the people who continued with their tea when they've been told the building is on fire. And if my boss ever told me "save the paperwork and the adding machines first" I'd be like " Sorry I quit. Bye!"
@Upper_Hutt_BoganАй бұрын
Oh no, a story about NZ… on Fascinating Horror… 😦
@FruityFruitbatАй бұрын
There have been a few NZ videos on here.
@littlebear274Ай бұрын
He's done Tangiwai and Cave Creek as well.
@bertuccigirlАй бұрын
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?!!
@david05111Ай бұрын
It’s almost always some jackass with his cigarette. Seen it over and over and over again
@garthcampbell5599Ай бұрын
My Grandmother worked there as a seamstress, lucky for me she was out side when it started. She watched it burn form the street, she lost friends that day.
@why....-Ай бұрын
i walk past the old site a lot, just a modern budling over the same site still a balaytines
@Hexx_plays03Ай бұрын
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.
@thediscustedkitty6348Ай бұрын
The manager telling the people to save the documents and adding machines reminds me of when I worked in a bank. During a fire were supposed to empy out drawers and put everything in the cubbies in the safe. You had to do cthat one at a time and the manager or lead teller had the keys. We had a fire drill once and it took so long for us to finish that we were all like "I guess we died." We were some of the lst out of a huged office building. If there had been a real fire I would have ran out of there immediately.
@CharlesStearmanАй бұрын
In the UK office I worked at in the 1970s-90s there was a two-stage alarm system. An intermittent ring meant secure important documents and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. A continuous ring meant evacuate immediately.
@thejudgmentalcatАй бұрын
Who the hell just looks "bemused" when a firefighter busts through a window and tells them they have to leave?!
@CatMom-uw9jlАй бұрын
Especially just a few years after a war!
@Vulpes88Ай бұрын
@@Die-Angst true, but if someone goes through a window and says the buildings on fire you should evacuate, maybe listen to the person.
@ElbowDeepInAHorseАй бұрын
I heard Pinex and flinched. This ain't gonna be good.
@ianfox6106Ай бұрын
Thanksfor this video. As New Zealander I would have thought the Tangiwai rail disaster would have been a more likely subject.
@FruityFruitbatАй бұрын
@@ianfox6106 He’s done one about that, and also Cave Creek.
@ianfox6106Ай бұрын
@FruityFruitbat oh yes you are right he has. That shows how new I am to this channel. Thanks.
@LiveFreeOrDie2A18 күн бұрын
This guy must have REALLY loved those tables @9:57 to come sprinting out of the building with one in each hand 😂🤣
@MattRoszakАй бұрын
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.
@umbrellacorp.Ай бұрын
Been a while since I've seen this channel. Glad you're doing well. 😎👍💯
@user-tc2ie3db3z21 күн бұрын
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.
@k.c1126Ай бұрын
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.
@thurayya8905Ай бұрын
Those firefighters were definitely no nonsense people, aiming the water from the hoses at the gawking spectators who were in the way! From the photographs, it looks as though some of the spectators lent a hand, with a man in Naval uniform and another in a three piece suit holding a hose.
@BrickNewtonАй бұрын
There were many of the public that stepped in to help, my great uncle bike in to help when he saw the smoke, he was a volunteer firefighter in his suburb.