Early yesterday morning a fire broke out in this well-known bathing establishment and completely gutted the rooms of the western block of baths facing the sea. Besides destroying a bathroom in the rear causing a good deal of damage to other parts of the same range building. It appears that one of the rooms in question viz. that adjoining the public reading room attached to this set of baths was used by Mr. Marsh’s family as a dwelling place various other detached rooms being devoted as sleeping apartments to different members of the household. It was in the first mentioned room that the fire broke out and this stole upon the building without arousing the occupants of the remaining rooms until it had a complete mastery.
The alarm was given by the Coastguard upon duty who perceived dense volumes of smoke issuing from the chimney, which he at first supposed to be on fire. He accordingly aroused Mr. Marsh, who by this means obtained a view of the back part of the room to which the fire was then confined observed that a portion of the woodwork immediately behind the chimney was bursting into flames. In two or three minute’s fire darted from all parts of the building. A great deal of wood being used in the construction of the baths as those acquainted with the building will remember and being covered with a tarred roof, the devouring element made rapid progress and the work of destruction continued for some time with the most direful consequences. Information was quickly given to Mr. G. T. Parks the Captain of the local Fire Brigade, who with the most praiseworthy alacrity got out the apparatus of the local board and in less than 20 minutes had it playing on the flames. When the immense volume of water thrown by the hose very speedily had the effect of subduing the conflagration, but not till rooms we have mentioned with their contents were totally destroyed. The only explanation of the origin of the catastrophe appears to be that some ignited soot must have got down behind the stove of the living room and set fire to some neighbouring woodwork. Mr. Marsh is insured in the Norwich Union Fire Office. (1859)
