Two Chinese Die In Auckland Fire

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 10

Two Chinese Die In Auckland Fire

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, June 30.

Two Chinese died in a fierce fire which gutted the ground floor of an old building in Auckland early this morning. They were Wong Gum On, aged 83, and Lee Cheu Cheuk, aged 76, both of 61 Greys avenue, Auckland.

The Hie swept through the lower storey and stairwell of the two-storey building just after 6 a m. The two men. who were sleeping upstairs, are believed to have been asphyxiated. Firemen used high-pressure water guns and had the flames beaten within 10 minutes. They found the two men upstairs and brought them outside to try to revive them. The attempt was continued by St. John Ambulance men for half an hour without success. Tomorrow the police will start sifting the wreckage for a sum of money believed to have been in the building on Saturday night. Detective Chief Superintendent H. M. Holmes, head of the Auckland C. 1.8. said tonight some money had already been found, but it

was tihoughit there could be more. Detective Inspector B. B. Bevege headed the police squad inquiring into the fire today. He said tonight there was no reason to suspect suspicious circumstances. The cause of the oubreak was not known, said the deputy fire chief, Mr C. Reid. It was fortunate the brick walls prevented the flames spreading to adjoining premises. He said the flames were belching out across the footpath as the fire engines from the central station turned into the street at 6.10 a.m. They were also leaping from windows at the The heat was so great it melted the heads of leadtopped nails on the veranda. The iron roof itself was red hot.