THREE CALLS FOR FIRE BRIGADE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21966, 15 December 1936, Page 5

THREE CALLS FOR FIRE BRIGADE

* SMALL OUTBREAKS YESTERDAY The Central Fire Brigade had a busyday yesterday. Three calls were received, though in no case was there any serious damage. The first call was at 9.20 a.m. to 28 Ollivier’s road, where a fire in the wash-house of a house occupied by Mr M. Noonan, was extinguished just after it broke out. It is thought that the cause was a defective chimney. Two fires were caused by electric irons, which were left switched on. The first was at 101 Winchester street, where the brigade was called to a small fire in the laundry of a house occupied by Mrs I. Dudley. The fire was soon extinguished. The call was received at 4.43 p.m. At 5.37 another call was received to a fire at an elec-* trical workshop at 120 Strickland street, occupied by Mr H. Broad. Here an iron which was being tested was left on. The damage was mainly confined to the contents of the building. With the exception of the contents of Mr Broad’s workshop all the property was insured.

HOUSE BURNED DOWN FIRE IN HAREWOOD ROAD A four-roomed house in Harewood road, occupied by Mr and Mrs J. Houston and two of their six children, of whom the other four slept in an adjoining whare, was burned down by a fire which broke out about 12 o’clock on Sunday night, after the family had gone to bed. The occupants of the house had scarcely time to escape after the fire was discovered. As the house was outside the city area nothing could be done to save the blaze. The fire is thought to have been caused by an ember dropping on the floor when Mr Houston got up to make a drink for the baby, aged three months. There were hot embers on the range, and he put macrocarpa twigs on them to boil the kettle. He afterwards took the kettle to the scullery, and it is thought that a hot ember was sticking to the bottom of the kettle, and dropped on the floor as he went out.

Mr Houston was later aroused by his wife, who said that she thought she heard someone in the kitchen. It was found that the kitchen was blazing fiercely, and the family had to leave the house hastily. The house was insured with, the South British Insurance Company for £325, and the furniture with the Alliance Assurance Company-for £IOO.