MOTAT attacked by arsonists

[vgp]

Police are treating a fire at an Auckland museum as arson, while North Island firefighters were kept busy overnight, with blazes in Wellington and Taranaki regions.

Eight fire crews battled the blaze at the Museum of Transport and Technology's railway building on Friday night.

Police say nearby residents heard voices of people urging each other to burn the place down.

A hangar being used to restore aircraft and aircraft parts was destroyed and a Nissan hut was partially burnt. Police are investigating.

www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200803010614/11bcd488

Firemen battle blaze at transport museum
Saturday, 01 March 2008


Firefighters were battling a blaze at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland tonight.


Shift manager Jaron Phillips told NZPA the fire started about 10.20pm at a railway building.

"At one stage it threatened a nearby building but that has been saved. Seven appliances were attending the fire."

Mr Phillips said the cause of the fire was not known at this stage.

"The fire safety officer is at the scene investigating."

Mr Phillips said there was no danger to any lives and the fire was now under control.

Access to fight the fire was initially a problem and a water tanker had to be used to douse the flames.

The fire also threatened a nearby residential area, he said.

NZPA
www.stuff.co.nz/4421302a10.html

[agalbraith]

Just heard the report myself too!!

Man, I hope no aircraft were destroyed..........anyone else know more. I am on the edge of my seat!

Cheers

[vgp]

Arsonists set fire to Motat buildings
Mar 1, 2008 7:03 AM

Arsonists have struck at a much-loved museum in Auckland on Friday night.

A hangar has been lost at Motat 2, which houses historic aviation artefacts, a military collection and several rail displays.

A Nissan hut used for administration has also been destroyed.

Police Communications Inspector Willie Taylor says there is no question of the fire starting accidentally.

Investigations into how the blaze was started will continue on Saturday morning.

More to follow...

tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1610301

[sputnik767]

This is a worry....
Last time I was there they were packing all sorts of bits and pieces into 2 of the sheds there in preparation for the move of the Belfast hangar.....and there was at least 2 least 2 more buildings being used for storage....
Also of worry is the mosquito, made from wood, needs to be secured away from these sort of brainless idiots....
We need to know more as soon as posible....

[vgp]

rson attack at Motat
7:25AM Saturday March 01, 2008
By Craig Borley


Fire safety officer Ray Coleman makes a preliminary check of the burned-out carriage early this morning. Photo / Richard Robinson


Arson is suspected in a fire that destroyed a vintage railway carriage at the Motat museum's aviation park in Western Springs late last night.

Firefighters from as far away as Papakura were called to the blaze, which also threatened to destroy a shed housing a second carriage.

Fears were also held for priceless vintage aircraft - including the world's only Solent Mark IV flying boat - kept on the site.

The shed, nearby scrub and a pile of timber caught alight.

Access to fight the fire was initially a problem and a water tanker had to be used to douse the flames.

There were fears the fire would spread to a nearby residential area.

Fire Service communications shift manager Jaron Phillips said the alarm was raised by neighbouring residents, who made many 111 calls.

Fire safety officer Ray Coleman said early today that preliminary reports suggested the fire was deliberately lit. Beer bottles were found at the scene.

Police were called to the park to track those believed responsible for the attack.

Motat's duty manager, Richard Gillet, said the destroyed carriage was awaiting restoration.

He was sickened by the possibility it had been deliberately torched, describing the collections held at the park as very important to the country.

"I'm disgusted," he said. "They are not available any longer. They are required for posterity. To see them treated like this is terrible."

The alarm was raised at 10.20pm, and the fire was brought under control at 11.30.

Rail and military collections share the Motat 2 site, between Motions Rd and Meola Rd and behind the zoo. The main Museum of Transport and Technology site is on Great North Rd.

The museum, which covers 17ha, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, including school groups, and relies heavily on volunteers.

In March 2000, Parliament passed a law forcing six Auckland local bodies to contribute towards its running costs, ensuring it had enough money to properly preserve the nation's transport heritage.

The park has a working railway with 1km of track, stations and a selection of former New Zealand Railways locomotives, wagons and carriages.

The nearby Sir Keith Park Memorial Aviation Collection is one of Australasia's most impressive aircraft exhibits.

Two of its most notable aircraft are the Solent flying boat and one of only a handful of World War II Avro Lancaster Bombers still in existence.


A new aviation display hall is to be built, with a planned completion date of 2010.

www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10495450

[Bruce]

I hope we clarification soon on which building was actually burnt - or is it a railway carriage?
It does raise concerns about all the priceless aircraft currently sitting outside - the pictures of the Heron at Rotorua on another thread are too disturbing...

[flyjoe180]

I too hope it is just a railway carriage and not a hangar.

[vs]

All of these aeroplanes are national treasures with the Lancaster, Solent and Mozzie being pretty much impossible to price to! I think even the government should be ware of this and help out with security costs etc

[Dave Homewood]

PHEW!!

Official confirmation from Motat's own website here www.motat.org.nz/

"Fire at MOTAT - Motion Road - Saturday 1st March 2008

A rail carriage located at the rear of the Museum's Motion Road Site was set on fire last night. It is a tragedy that this irreplaceable Rail artefact has been destroyed however we are very fortunate that the fire was limited to this area. The Museum's wonderful Aviation and Military collection were unharmed in this incident.

Further updates will be provided."

[Dave Homewood]

I have edited the title of this thread so that no-one else has the major panic I did when i woke this morning and read the mis-information on Teletext. When will reporters ever learn we prefer facts to fiction in the news?

[vgp]

Thanks for that Dave , The lack of info early on is a pain in the B..T.

[agalbraith]

Phew! I am sorry to hear about the carriage but.................hugely relieved no find out no aircraft (or parts) were lost!!

[Bruce]

I would now have to ask the Council why insufficient firefighting water was available in the area (it is the middle of an urban suburb) and would trust that this was attended to with sufficient urgency - especially before the new complex is constructed. Imagine the difficulties of trying to fight a fire in such a large complex (and it has happened before overseas) relying on Tanker water. Motat will also need to rethink acess around thier site for the same reason. For the sake of our priceless heritage I hope this will wake people up and some positive changes come of it.

[denysjones]

While I am obviously happy that no (as far as reports can be believed) aircraft items have suffered, I have to say I am disappointed in the tone of some the posts on the thread " too hope it is just a railway carriage and not a hangar" that convey the sentiment of the loss of a very historical rail carriage is apparently acceptable so long as no aircraft material was not lost.

Tut tut Ants what would the CRS have to say about your comments?

Also MoTaT is now days not short of money given its rating powers over the ARA so why should the ARA have to do anything to solve internal problems there?

[lumpy]

Dont think anyone meant to suggest that its ok for a railway carriage to be destroyed , but lets face it , most folks here are aviation buffs . Its a great loss either way , but if one had to choose between a single carriage , or a hangar full of vintage aircraft parts , I know which way Id rather it went . Hope they catch the idiots !

[Dave Homewood]

Denys, I don't know iof you saw the initial news reports eminating from TVNZ's newsroom and Newstalk ZB, etc, but they were saying two buildings had been lost, one a hangar full of aviation, rail and military treasures, the other an admin Nissan hut (sic) used for administration. Had an aviation hangar and all the records in the admin hut truly been lost it would have been utterly devastating. The loss of the carriage is certainly very sad, and ratehr disgusting to think it was deliberate. As lumpy says, no-one means to belittle that loss at all.

Bruce has a very big point regarding water.

Another point I'll make is at the moment while so dry with the drought weather, Motat (and other people too) need to ensure its long grass that normally surrounds its buildings is well cut back and controlled, as it's a huge fire risk.

It's probably lucky it was raining at the time, or this arson attack could have been much worse. Thank goodness the locals were astute enough to phone police and fire appliances quickly when they heard the voices of the arsonists.

Finally, someonme really needs to look into the total mis-reporting of this fire in the media. I was extremely distraught when i first read the report that the aviation hangar had been burned down. Where did this rubbish eminate from? Was it some deranged caller to Newstalk ZB?

[ErrolC]

www.stuff.co.nz/4425256a10.html
Police arrest eight over MOTAT fire

Eight teenagers have been charged with arson over the burning of a 121-year-old railway carriage at Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology last Friday night.


The fire completely destroyed one half of the carriage and burnt out the other half leaving only the metal shell intact.

Detective Sergeant Geoff Baber of Avondale Police said in a statement the arrests came as a result of investigations conducted by Police and Fire Safety Officers, and valuable information provided by members of the public who live near the scene of the fire.

Seven of the arrested youth are aged 16 and another is 15.

They have all been bailed to appear in the Auckland Youth Court on Thursday.

[corsair67]

Teenagers? I thought it'd be a roving gang of aged pensioners up to no good! ;D

[beagle]

or a bunch of aussie brats over on holiday

[alanw]

I'm glad they have been caught

Personally the words lynch and mob with tree and rope came to mind originally

I think however that since these youth think so lightly of their
own history, I hope the judge at their trial will be inspired to
make them volunteer to work as part of their punishment and
the restorative process at MOTAT on some of these things they have sought to destroy.

In doing so help them realize that this our history and it's priceless, and needs to be preserved for posterity