Story: Fires and fire services
An elderly woman is evacuated from the suburb of Parnell, Auckland, during a chemical emergency in February 1973. When leaking drums containing a defoliant were dumped on a section in the suburb, fumes affected many people, including firefighters who were called in to deal with the problem. Thousands of people had to be evacuated, and 643 received hospital treatment. Procedures for dealing with chemical emergencies were reviewed after this experience.
Courtesy of the New Zealand Herald
About this item
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Gavin McLean, Fires & firefighting. Wellington: Grantham House, 1992, p. 120
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