Permission to Burn: The Ballantynes Fire of Christchurch, NZ

Episode 80 On November 18, 1947, a fire tore through Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 41 people and changing the nation forever. It remains New Zealand’s deadliest fire disaster — and one that exposed shocking negligence. In this episode, we retrace the events leading up to the blaze, the chaos of the evacuation, and the devastating aftermath. We’ll look at how overcrowding, building construction, and a lack of fire protection systems turned a busy shopping day into tragedy, and how the disaster forced long-overdue changes to fire safety and labor laws. Ballantynes wasn’t just a tragedy — it was a turning point. But it also raises a haunting question: why do we keep having to relearn the same lessons, decades later? Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources: Staff Told Not To Evacuate: The Ballantynes Fire — Fascinating Horror (YouTube, July 16, 2024). Watch here A Tragic Series of Events | Ballantynes Fire | A Short Documentary — Retelling (YouTube, October 24, 2021). Watch here Ablaze — Screentime New Zealand (YouTube, January 18, 2025). Watch here Royal Commission to Inquire into and Report upon Matters concerning the Fire at the Premises of Messrs. J. Ballantyne and Company, Limited, City of Christchurch, on the 18th day of November, 1947. (1948). Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand (H–47). By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington https://gg.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2021-06/RC%20100%20Ballantynes%20Fire.pdf Christchurch City Libraries. Ballantynes’ Fire. Christchurch City Council. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025. https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/ballantynes-fire/