TWO FIRES IN EMPTY HOUSE

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28359, 19 August 1957, Page 10

TWO FIRES IN EMPTY HOUSE

Investigations By Detectives A squad of detectives yesterday investigated two fires in an empty house at 247 Moorhouse avenue, where it is believed vagrants have been sleeping and holding parties. Extensive damage was done to the floors of two rooms in the building and quantities of stranded flax were found by firemen stuffed under jsome boards in the room. Samples of this material ‘were taken by the detectives.

A telephone call shortly after 12.53 p.m. yesterday reported that smoke was coming from the nouse. This fire was quickly extinguished by firemen and detectives searched the building. The floor had been burned in separate places in both rooms. The rooms were separated by a hallway which was also burned. Another call was made to the Christchurch Fire Brigade shortly after 8.50 p.m., 30 minutes after detectives had completed a second search of the building, which showed signs of recent use. Detectives again went to the house and later a senior officer was recalled to the scene.

Firemen who ripped the boards clear on the second outbreak pointed to the charred floorboards with the beams of their torches while the smoke was still billowing out of the front door of the house, and told detectives that it appeared that the second fire had been deliberately set. They ripped wads of stranded flax out from under some floor boards near the wall of the building. The second outbreak, they said, had definitely been caused by two separate fires close to each other Five detectives searched the outbuildings of the house and took articles of women's clothing, the flax, and a match box.