Neighbors Aid Rebuilding of Burned Out Greenhouses

"They're the best neighbors anyone ever had." It was Mrs. Loyd Veit speaking. All about her, in the smouldering ruins of five of her husband's greenhouses levelled by an early morning fire today, volunteers poked through the ashes for salvageable material, and hustled new lumber into the ruins. In a remarkable demonstration of practical neighborliness, nearly 50 residents of the district along No. 3 highway, six miles east of here, pitched in to organize an on-the-spot building bee to replace the buildings lost in the $15,000 fire.

Spotted by Motorist
The fire, which was spotted by a passing motorist, broke out at three a.m. this morning, quickly sweeping through five greenhouses and the powerhouse before the combined efforts of volunteers and Tillsonburg and Delhi firemen brought it under control. Mr. Veit said: "There was enough insurance to pay the first installment on replacing the greenhouses." Little clouds of smoke puffed from the charred ruins, and sparks still arched across the gaunt skeletons of the burned-out greenhouses when the neighbors moved in with their hammers and saws. By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of plants had been carried out of the gutted greenhouses, and removed to those left intact, and a good start had been made towards replacing the nurseries' two-storey powerhouse. Attracted by the flames shooting high into the sky, scores of neighbors converged on the Veit home in the early morning hours to help fight the flames, and drag furniture from the threatened home of the nurseries' owner. But they didn't go home once the fire had been doused.

Rapid Aid Given
One of the first to make his contribution was Cecil Pettinger, a farmer three miles away. Before dawn, he backed his steam engine out of winter storage, and rolled it down the highway to the Veit home. This afternoon, its snub chimney was spouting thick grey smoke as it fed heat into the two greenhouses where most of the salvaged plants were placed after the fire. Neighboring farmers, a garage-man, a carpenter, a mason and representatives of half a dozen other trades from near-by villages flocked to the scene to offer their skills to the fire victim in the task of rebuilding. Lumber and cement building blocks were trucked to the spot during the morning, and by nightfall the volunteers were well on the way to encasing the exposed, fire-blackened boilers in a temporary powerhouse. "It will probably take us a week or ten days to repair all the damage," Mr. Veit estimated. Volunteers who wanted to help but who could offer no special skills worked through the day in the ice-crusted ruins, retrieving hundreds of still-intact flower pots, and salvaging materials which might be used in the re-building. Telling the story of the fire, Mrs. Veit recalled how the family had been awakened by a passing motorist and his wife early this morning. "The lady was such a good soul," she said. "I couldn't help smiling even at the time at her choice of things to be removed from the house. First things she took out were a flower pot, a bird's cage and a copy of the daily paper." Mr. Veit said that he dashed out the back door of his home, and made his way into the powerhouse. He said the flames were already sweeping overhead and the hose he immediately turned on them had no effect. Augmented by scores of volunteers, the Delhi and Tillsonburg firemen fought the flames for more than two hours before bringing them under control.

Damage estimated at between $10,000 and $15,000 was caused to the Fernlea Nurseries, six miles east of Tillsonburg, when fire completely destroyed five of 12 greenhouses on the property at dawn this morning. Owner of the firm is Lloyd Veit. A "bee", comprising neighbors of Mr. Veit, set to work at once on the task of rebuilding the green houses. The top photo shows workmen cleaning up the debris from around the boiler where the fire is believed to have started. Bottom left: Neighbors can be seen in a greenhouse reclaiming boxes which had contained growing plants. What plants had not been destroyed in the fire, died of exposure when the glass in the houses broke during the fire. Bottom right: The first pile of lumber for rebuilding can be seen in the foreground as workmen clear the wreckage and work at top speed on the project. Partial insurance was carried.