When Nesbitts caught fire in 1959, the community turned out in force. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Library/CSURA.
When the two-storey furniture store Nesbitts on Wagga’s Baylis Street caught fire on a Monday afternoon in May 1959, it was a blaze for the ages.
A crowd of 1500 locals flooded Wagga’s CBD to watch more than 100 firefighters and volunteers battle the fire that was so hot it cracked the glass of windows across the street.
Lost Wagga Wagga contributor Peg Westcott recently shared some of the spectacular photos of the fire along with the background on this iconic Wagga business which has traded for more than a century.
Nesbitts “Big Southside Furniture Warehouse” was founded by Robert George Nesbitt in 1910, expanding across several premises in the location now occupied by Harris Scarfe.
By the 1950s, Nesbitts had grown to become Wagga’s largest furniture retailer.
An advertisment for Nesbitts from 1915. Photo: Lost Wagga Wagga.
The building had already survived a fire in the neighbouring shop in December 1929.
According to the Cootamundra Herald Mr Nesbitt’s son was asleep in the premises behind the shop when he was awakened by the smell of smoke at about 4 am. He woke up the household and Mr Nesbitt raised “the alarm to the brigade through the telephone exchange”.
The fire was quickly located at Mick Martyn’s Men’s Mercery Shop where it had “been smouldering for some time, and the shop was filled with smoke, the heat being almost unbearable”.
Fortunately, it was soon brought under control and the adjoining shops suffered only minimal smoke damage.
Robert Nesbitt died in 1956, and his sons Neville and Jack took over the business.
The blaze took firefighters more than two hours to bring under control. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Library/CSURA.
Three years later on 4 May 1959, the building was heavily damaged by the spectacular fire. The Canberra Times had a full report under the headline “Wagga Shop Fire Causes £500,000 Damage”.
“At the height of the fire fears were held for the safety of two firemen missing in the blazing building,” the story read.
“The firemen were trapped in an upstairs room by smoke and flames for more than 10 minutes.
“They managed to escape unhurt through a rear window of the building.”
Bystanders lent a hand moving hoses and removing stock from neighbouring businesses. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Library/CSURA.
As hundreds of spectators flocked to Baylis Street, police were called in to hold them back. When an electric light pole caught fire there were fears that it would fall into the crowd along with live wires and “flames leapt hundreds of feet into the air as rolls of linoleum, drums of paint and furniture caught fire”.
Bystanders helped to remove stock from adjoining shops amid fears the fire would spread, and a second fire brigade was called in from the Forest Hill RAAF base.
It took more than two hours to bring the blaze under control leaving nine firemen with minor injuries from “burning debris and exploding plate glass windows”.
Police reinforcements were called in to keep the large crowd back from the blaze. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Library/CSURA.
After the fire, Neville and Jack briefly relocated the business while the shop was rebuilt and were back the following year.
Later, Nesbitts added an apostrophe to the name and moved to Hammond Ave where they continue to trade as Nesbitt’s Furniture One.
Loading ...
