HOME RANSACKED

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19683, 29 July 1929, Page 8

HOME RANSACKED

BEDDING SET ON FIRE. TIMELY DISCOVERY PREVENTS MUCH DAMAGE. j Anotier case of incendiarism oc- | etirred yesterday morning. The home of Mr T. Porterfield, in St. Albans, was ransacked by unknown j j persons and then set on fire. As ! in the case of Mr Archer's house, every drawer in every room was i taken out and the contents scat- ] tered. A pile of blankets in one bedroom was fired, and a second blaze was started in a wardrobe in the same room, rortunately the outbreak was noticed before the flames obtained a strong hold, but a j great deal of damage was done by smoke. As a result of illness Mr and Mrs Porterfield have been residing with Mrs Porterfield, sen., in Dallington. For several weeks their house has been empty, although frequent visits to it were paid j bv the owners —one as recently as Saturday afternoon. The house is a bungalow, on the corner of Mersey and Westminster streets. When a motorist passed the placo at about 8 o'clock yesterday morning dense smoke was pouring from the doorway. He gave the alarm, and called Sergeant Almond, St. Albars. One engine from the eentral station and one from the St. Albans station quickly reached the scene. By the time the engines arrived the police, with helpers, had gained entrance, and were attacking the names with buckets of water. The entire place had been ransacked. Drawers, emptied of their contents, littered the hall. It was found that after the place had been ransacked, blankets had been piled on top of the bed and fired. With the windows and the door closed very little air could get at the outbreak, and the blankets smouldered. They evidently burned slowly throughout the night, and burst into flame shortly before 8 oclock yesterday morning. The persons responsible gained entrance by breaking a pane of glass in the front door. Most of the damage was done by smoke and heat rather than by the flames.