FIRE RUN WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 221, 18 September 1929, Page 7

FIRE RUN WILD.

BLAZING INFERNO.

OILFIELD FURNACES.

95 Wells Destroyed; No Hope For 49 Others. FEARFUL CONFLAGRATION. (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received 10.30 a.m.) VENTURA (Cal.), September 17. Hundreds of men and trucks over a 50-mile front are endeavouring to stem the line of fire sweeping' down the slopes of the sulphur mountain and advancing towards the rich Ventura avenue of oil fields. Despite supreme efforts to hold back the flames £400,000 worth of damage has already been done to scattered oil equipment. Many refugees are Seeing from the area. Two hundred fire-fighters to-day escaped death from the flames only by a slight shift of the wind, which turned the fire when it was about to trap them. Later dispatches state that the disastrous fires continue unchecked and the total damage is well above £600,000. The Ventura blaze is running wild before a brisk wind and has already destroyed 95 oil wells. Hope is given up for the 49 other wells. Fire-fighters are attempting desperately to'save the rich Ventura field three miles beyond: Women and girls are aiding the boys and men, of whom all available have been working for hours. Fire entered the Wheeler Canyon and destroyed valuable ranches and threatened the town of Santa Paula, which was deserted. A second roaring furnace is blazing uncontrolled outside San Diego and cities on the watershed are threatened. Acres of country have been devastated and numerous homes wrecked. Hot winds from the Imperial Valley deserts are spreading the flames. The hillsides are covered with charred bodies ' of livestock, wild game&nd poultry.