FIRE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 4062, 8 December 1896, Page 2

FIRE.

! — - - The Fire Brigade are getting plenty to do j just now I hey were called out to a grass ; tire on Sunday ab the High .-chool, summened for another of the same kin'l yes erday I afternoon near the river end of West Street, and once again just on midnight last night. The midnight alarm, however, was a more serious affair, as it involved the destruction of a two-storyed building m Moore Strett, the property of Dr Trevor. The fire had a good hold when the bell rang, and very soon the building was a mass of flime, the progress of which was vety materially helped by a breeze from the south-west, and the total destruction of thebuililiug after that was only a matter of a few minutes. The steam fire engine was fairly early on the scene, but much time elapsed before a drop of water was available m the Moore Street channels. The cottage belonging to the Wakanui Road Board m Moore Street, and used as a dwelling-house by the Clerk, Mr J. A. Poole, immediately adjoins the property which has been destroyed, and the I people who were on the Bpot speedily got I out Mr Poole, who is an invalid, and has anything but free use of his limbs. As i much of his furniture as could be removed was also got out, as the cottage was threatened for a time with the same fate as bhe larger building, and indeed did take Qre, but the u-e of the curricle engine, and what water was by this time available, saved a portion of it. When the channel was at last flowing full and j the steamer got to work, all danger of the fire spreading was averted; but for a time ib looked as if not only Mr Poole'e cottage, but the Board Office, and Mre Robottom's and Mr Kidd's b'acksmith'e shop were m danger. The water supply management seems to have reached an aout* stage, and burgesses will now begin to ask the Borough Council for some sort of explanation of why, with the boasted water supply we have, a man has to stand and look on at his burning house, while the Bteam engine, ready for work and fully manned by an able brigade, has also to sand idle till the stream that should be flowing always m the night time finds its trickliog way to the spot. The sooner the Council comes to terms with the Brigade the better. The Biigade, if it had had control of the water supply, would have had the water on the roof of the two storey building m a few minutes, and Poole's cottage would have got bub a scorching. As it was the building was burned to the ground before it had a chance to .fill a foot of hose. Both buildings ate insured m the Alliance — Dr Trevor's property for £200, and the Road Board cottage for £130. The two-storey house had not been occupied since October 20.