BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 7

BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

... DESTRUCTION, .OF TIMBER, ' FIVE MEN IN DANGER. '. • ' (BY TELE(;Ri\rn—ritEss ASSODIA'TION.) ■ i* ' Corei January 10. Word oomo to- hand 'that tho Waikaia Bush.v.'about thirty milcsfabovo the township of vW'aikaia'j lias i been on' fire'' for over' a weok.v,.Tho.'.firq'is.'supposed to have originated- thrOugh -a'pfirson carelessly throwing a lighted : match ; amongst some dead manuka. The bu'sh; carriesa;.lofc.:of fine timber, birch of . particularly durablo;.-.quality' being plentif)|^r:anda it' only,/ wanted railway facilities to'inako it:~extensivelyfused. .Thc.firo'Jias burnt/.back into tho.; heart of tho busli, and unlfisjvrain comes, '.which does -not at'.:pre-sent-appCar probablo, tho bush'will bo com-pletely-destroyed. , ,'j. . v .'; ' V Inverc'argiil, January io. 1 : " Southjaiid' Tiines'^■" Otautau correspondont roports extonsivo fires in the Longwood Bush. Five biislimen, working in Harrington's reserve, liave been cut-ofF'from ■their,, huts by tho burning tho bush tramK;is':.hoped .that|..they-j may, mako jheir; ;way ..out , ( by : ,;biit . there is a fire, in tho [)iish ,on, that side:, which may sdmplicate matters,.'. ' : ;,i- v Blenheim, JanuarylO. AJargo.grass fire last,night on Baukhouso run, tin^-the.,-Wairau.. (.Valley, swept.rnabout 2500, acres, destroying the station '.stables and outbuildings; ' The. rtou?'o i.was. saved witli diiliculty. Portions of a -,valuablo plantation wero . destroyed, and several telegraph poles 'burned; No. stock are thought to have beon lost. The "Waihopai River flat' was cleared of .gorse iiand ; briar; the wholo tho buni -..was rather good than - bad;, •' /Another fire- iit • dliverlands .'. was' ostinguishod during the! afteriioon. . The Bankhouso ptables- and outbuildings wore covered by,.an insurance of £290 in the Now Zealand office, ' .j. , . ;