http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1287
Charles Moore's: March 1948
The headlines tell the story: 'Big city store destroyed by fire. Moore's burnt to shell in 3 hours. Damage estimated at ?500,000'.
The fire started in the space between the roof and second-floor ceiling. The shop was protected by sprinklers, but they all pointed down into the shop, leaving the roof space unprotected and the wooden structural timber burned fiercely. The fire started at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 2 March. The location - facing Victoria Square - provided a vantage point for crowds, and it was estimated that the crowd numbered up to 20,000 people.
The shop occupied about an acre. After the fire it was determined that the ground floor was 'perfect' and once the building could be reopened it could start to trade. While reconstruction took place Moores transferred staff to their branches in Kapunda, Perth and Melbourne.
The salvage sale brought big crowds. John Martins hosted the sale. Some of the items make interesting reading - for example 2,000 pairs of women's and children's socks were described as '(damp) 3 pairs for 4/-'.