TWO FIRES LAST EVENING

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25833, 18 June 1949, Page 6

TWO FIRES LAST EVENING

Residents Suspect Incendiarism

INQUIRIES BY POLICE

The police are making inquiries into two fires which broke out last evening and early this morning in the lower Cashmere area. Residents suspect that the outbreaks were caused by an incendiarist. Both fires were in detached sheds, one of which was completely de-

stroyed. The first fire was in a loosebox at 112 Centaurus road, Cashmere, the property of Mr Ronald Carter. The outbreak was quickly put out with firstaid equipment by units of the Sydenham and Central Fire Brigades. The box was empty. The property is about 300 yards from the Kowhai Nurseries, where a shed was burned on Thursday evening. Mr Carter, who is a contractor, also breaks in trotters and pacers, and had a racehorse in fairly large stables almost opposite the burnt loosebox. Mr Carter had just got into bed when he heard a neighbour. Mr Charles Wallis, calling out. He rushed to a shed adjoining the box and removed two cars.

The brigades received the call at 10.36 p.m., and were soon on the scene and quickly had the fire under control. The damage was confined to a corner of the box.

The second outbreak, at 10 Bowenvale avenue, occurred about a quarter of a mile away from the first fire. Units from the Central and Sydenham brigades were called to. a fire in a small detached shed at 12.9 a.m. The building, which was empty, was blazing fiercely, and was totally destroyed. The shed was owned by Mr Herbert Anthony, of 10 Bowenvale avenue. With last night’s outbreaks included, there have been nine fires in the district in the last three months. There were three fires in the same hedge in two weeks. A shed was destroyed and another badly damaged on Tuesday night, and the brigade was also called to a hedge burning in Hawford road. The sheds were on property bounded by Ombersley terrace and Beckford road, within 100 yards of the hedge fire.