A SPECTACULAR FIRE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21404, 21 February 1935, Page 9

A SPECTACULAR FIRE

. « Hurried Escape By 27 Occupants ASHBURTON BOARDINGHOUSE DESTROYED The most spectacular blaze seen at Ashburton in the last 10 years occurred yesterday morning, when the twostoreyed, wooden Prince Albert board-ing-house in Wills street east was gutted between 6.30 o'clock and 7 o'clock. Twenty-seven people who were in the building made a hasty exit, taking with them practically only the clothes they stood in. The boarding-house was owned by Mrs Elizabeth Coulter, a former occupier, now residing at Belfast, Ireland. It was occupied by Mr and Mrs C. H. P. Samuels. Tne fire in the kitchen, which was in a semi-detached structure at the back of the boardinghouse, was started by Mr Samuels about 6 o'clock In the ordinary way. Half an hour later, Mrs Samuels entered the kitchen to prepare the breakfast and discovered the place to be on fire. It is thought that the fire started through a defect in the chimney leading from the kitchen range.

Mrs Samuels at once aroused her family, and the alarm was given to the boarders who were occupying the upper storey. At the same time an alarm was sent to the fire brigade. About the time the fire brigade reached the house, the flames took complete charge of the structure and were bursting through the wall at numerous points. The inside was en a furnace, and it was apparent at once that no amount of water from the hoses would effect a save. The old dry timbers burned like tinder, and in a few minutes from the discovery of the outbreak the roof fell in, accompanied by a huge pall of smoke which billowed up to let through great bursts of flame that were higher than the flagstaff on the Majestic Theatre nearby. Money Left in Rooms In the slight confusion which resulted following the waking of those men who were asleep, several of the boarders rushed for the stairs without thought of the money they had in I their rooms, and the loss in this respect is considerable.- One man, Mr I David Bell, left £35 under his pillow, and he did not remember it till he was on the street, when it was too late to go back into the building. An old man, who had been seriously ill for some time, was brought out with difficulty. Anothe- boarder had to make his escape by means of a rope hanging from his window, when he was cut off by a wall of flames. He threw his mattress to the ground to act as a cushion in case he should fall, and then started down the rope. Flames were licking at the rope by this time, and it burnt through and dropped the man before he had completed his slide to the ground. He was not hurt. It was then that the danger to the adjoining buildings became more obvious. The flames were tending to the south-east, and the iron on the butcher's shop next door, also occupied by Mr Samuels, soon became red-hot, the ceiling taking fire and necessitating the removal of some of the roof iron to permit a lead of hose being trained on the flames. Most of the inside walls were scorched and blackened by the heat of the main fire. The inside of the shop was damaged a good deal by water, but the machinery did not appear to have sufiered. Only by concentrating leads of water on the walls of the Mission building to the west of the boardinghouse was the brigade able to save the Mission. It was severely scorched and blistered. The boarding-house, which was 59 years old, was erected by Mr C. Truckle, and has always been used in that capacity. Mr Samuels and his family will be heavy losers as a result of the fire, as they were able to salvage very little of their belongings before they had to quit the doomed building, and a number of sports trophies were lost besides a valuable piano and a large wireless set. The building w?s insured for £450 in the Norwich Union office. There was a policy for £l5O in the same office in the name of Mrs Coulter on a quantity of the furniture, while there was one of £2OO on the remainder of the furniture in the Australian Alliance Assurance Company.