MAN BURNED TO DEATH

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22432, 20 June 1938, Page 8

MAN BURNED TO DEATH

HOTEL DESTROYED BY FIRE EARLY MORNING OUTBREAK AT WAIHI (PRESS ASSOCIATION TEI.KGRAM.i AUCKLAND, June 19. Fire destroyed the Commercial Hotel. Waihi, early this morning. One of the boarders, Frederick Miller, a single man, ■ aged 25 years. was trapped in his bedroom and burned to death. His charred remains were found when the fire was extinguished. Miller went to Waihi three weeks ago, and was employed as a miner at the Martha mine. He had previously lived at Waiuta and Dunedin.

Miller occupied a room off an upstairs lounge in the centre of the building, immediately above the seat of the fire, which started on the ground floor.

The alarm was given at 5.30 a.m. by a barman-porter. The other guests escaped in their night attire. It is understood that the hotel was recently purchased by Dominion Breweries, Ltd.

TRAPPED IN BURNING HOUSE

MAN ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL

AUCKLAND. June 19. Trapped in a blazing house while he was asleep in front of the fire. James Brown, of Hunlly, had a narrow escape from death early last evening. In making his way put through a window lie received severe burns, and was later admitted to the Waikato Hospital.

The house consisted /of three rooms, and was owned and occupied by Brown’s brother and sister-in-law Mr and Mrs Sydney Brown, both of whom were absent at the time. Mrs Brown went out about 6 p.m. to visit some friends, and an hour later James Brown awoke to find the whole room m flames. His only hope of escape was to climb through the window, and as he did so his clothes caught fire and were burned from his back. Nothing could be done to save the house, which was destroyed with its contents.