Street Ablaze

A man with an eye for passing trade, Mr John Selfe built the Imperial Hotel on what was to become Wee Waa’s main road. The 40-room hotel had already changed hands a few times and was leased by Mr W. Maher when a fire consumed the street on Valentine’s Day in 1912.

The blaze started just after 1am when Constable Jones noticed smoke coming from Howells’ fruit shop and refreshments rooms. Jones woke the Howells family, who escaped, barely dressed, as flames consumed their weatherboard home.

Within minutes, it had spread to neighbouring shops, and the Constable ran down the road, shouting to raise the alarm. Guests at the Imperial Hotel dragged their belongings out onto the street, watching helplessly as the fire escalated.

The town had no fire brigade, and the only water came from the nearby lagoon. Despite the ‘bucket brigade’s’ efforts, the fire consumed five buildings, including the Imperial, and the hotel’s brick chimney was the only thing left standing.

The need for a fire brigade was painfully evident, and Alfred Webb, the NSW Fire Brigades’ chief officer, appeared motivated to wash his hands of the situation. The Maitland Daily Mercury reported Webb as ‘not caring to speak…’ about Wee Waa’s lack of protection being due to the shire council’s refusal to accept the Fire Commissioner’s terms.

It was a lesson learned too late, with the combined damages estimated at nearly £40,000. The Imperial Hotel was rebuilt in brick and now stands at three stories, offering shelter for townsfolk escaping the region’s other elemental menace, the dreaded floods.