BACK-COUNTRY GRASS FIRES

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28699, 24 September 1958, Page 12

BACK-COUNTRY GRASS FIRES

Train Services Interrupted

Although rain, hail and snow was general over most of Canterbury late yesteraay afternoon, men in me morning were fighting two grass fires whiefi broke out along me West Coast railway une at otaircase and Cass ana aeiayed tram services.

The fire at staircase, which started when railway gangers were burning on along the line, burned from 11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the ram which had stanea to tall helped to put it out. The fire at Cass, which began about iu.3o a.m., was put out shortly after midday. Last evening, snow lay where the fires had burned earlier in the day—up to 3ft in places at Cass. The fires were indicative of the dry conditions prevailing over Canterbury before yesterday’s rain. The fire at Staircase got out of hand in the dry growth, and burned a considerable area Railway gangs from several places along the line were brought to fight the fire with wet sacks, out before it was brought under control the fire had melted overhead wires alongside the railway line and cut the automatic signalling and telephone communications. The 10 a.m. rail-car from Christchurch was delayed about an hour and a half by the fire, and the morning rail-car from Ross was also delayed about an hour. Fire at Cass The grass fire near Cass is thought to have been started by a spark from a Coast-bound train between 10 a.m. and a.m. It broke out on the Grasmere Station side of the line, and swept over browntop country towards the Cass settlement. Had the wind got behind it, it could have been a major outbreak, and seriously threatened the settlement, but it was halted when it reached the Main West Coast road near the Mount White turnoff. A fire-fighting gang from Grasmere Station was called out and quelled the blaze when it was halted at the road junction. Had this fire got away, it would have turned round to the left towards the Cass river and the Mount Misery area, which was particularly dry before the rain and snow began falling late in the afternoon.