Elderly man dies in Fendalton house fire

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33077, 18 November 1972, Page 1

Elderly man dies in Fendalton house fire

An elderly man was burnt to death when fire gutted the rear of his house in Glandovey Road, Christchurch, early last evening. He was GEORGE GILBERT ANROY TILLEY, aged 71, a widower, of 61 Glandovey Road, Fendalton.

Mr Tilley lived alone in the house, and was the only person in it when the fire broke out just before 7 p.m.

Mr Tilley was found by firemen in the sunroom at the rear of the house. It is believed. that the fire began in the sunroom, but the exact cause was not known. A heater in the room was not thought to have been switched on.

The fire severely damaged the rear portion of the wellkept wooden house. A neighbour, Mr P. G. Bushnell, whose flat overlooks the rear part of Mr Tilley’s house, said that he and his wife had noticed the fire from their kitchen. Mr Bushnell and a neighbour rushed over to the burning building, but were driven back by the heat. Both men called out but received no reply. House in darkness Mr Bushnell said that although Mr Tilley’s car had been in the garage, he was uncertain whether or not Mr Tilley was home. The house seemed dark, and all the windows were shut.

“I banged on the door, but there was a lot of smoke and the heat soon drove me back,” he said. The police and firemen remained at the house for some time — Mr Tilley’s body was not removed until about 9.30 pjn. The fire attracted the attention of several neighbours, and firemen had some difficulty keeping children away. Sergeant R. B. Kench, who headed police inquiries, said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Two fire engines, one from the St Albans station and the other from Harewood, attended the fire. Hole in the Wall In another fire in Christchurch early last evening, the premises of the long-estab-lished Hole in the Wall snack bar in Manchester Street were severely damaged. The fire, which broke out about 5.30 p.m. in the deepfry gas cooker, blackened the interior of the building as well as damaging cooking facilities, a television set, and a juke box. The fire occurred during peak-hour traffic, which became congested in the immediate area. However, traffic officers soon had the situation under control. Fire confined

No-one was in the building when the fire broke out. The premises were due to open about half an hour later. The proprietor (Mr R. San-

ders) would not comment on the effect of the fire, but an employee said it would probably mean that a new building for the snack bar would have to be found.

Three fire engines from the Central Fire Station attended, and firemen were able to prevent the fire from spread-

ing to an amplifier manufacturing business upstairs.