NARROW ESCAPE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24152, 11 January 1944, Page 4

NARROW ESCAPE

PARTY OF SPORTSMEN

STRUGGLE AHEAD OP FLAMES

‘‘The Press" Special Service

HAMILTON, January 10. , , A thrilling escape from the fires that,.' have been raging in the Rotorua dis* v | trict was experienced by a party of : t four Auckland sportsmen, Flying Of* fleer Ralph Exton, Aircraftman Ivan Brewer, Messrs Cecil George, and T. .r R. Finlay, who were camped between ; Lake Tarawera and the buried village , of Te Wairoa. They set out lightly/ equipped from their camp, intent up* !’ on spending a full day of deer-stalking j through fern; scrub, and bush. , ? About 9 a.m. one of the party noticed ■, a fire some distance off, but travelling/ , rapidly through gorse and fern. Real* /; ising they were in danger of being cut,, off by the flames, the party fled as . rapidly as possible. By 2.30 p.m. they /, had covered more than 10 miles, ana.', were very fatigued. , ■' One member of the party, appealed to the others to go on and leave him, ,4 as he had reached the limit of endur* ance. The others helped him until no ■; partly recovered. The flight was con* , tinued, the men shedding rucksacks, ammunition, and binoculars as they hurried from the path of the fire. Gorse . , and fern, dry as tinder after the dry , weather, ignited close behind therm They /were making roughly in the di- i; rection of Lake Tarawera. and began to feel easier in mind, although phy*,: sically tired to the point of collapse, ; for they could get occasional glimpses , of the lake. 0 However, suddenly they reached tne ~ brink of a sheer cliff face 70 to 80 feet r high. There was no time or place to , scramble down, so the party changed. . direction, trying to get un-wind from the flames. It was touch and go « - times, scrambling over and through tangles of fern and manuka, until the leader literally fell on the roadway, and was soon followed by his three companions. Great was their relief to find » motorist. Mr S. Duncan, of Hamilton, just in the act of turning his car to - flee from the advancing flames. Bund- • ling all four into the car. Mr Duncan hurried away to safety. Mr Duncan said that iust as the men reached the road the flames leaped across the road to ignite the bush on the other side.