POHANDINA VALLEY IN FLAMES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 96, 16 January 1908, Page 7

POHANDINA VALLEY IN FLAMES.

: FIRE: TRAVELLING' WITH RAPIDITY. : . AN IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE. ' "' (BY TELEGBAPH—SrEOUr,; COIIRESrONDEKT.) • ... r Pa!merston North, January'ls. j ■■■Reports from Pohangina,.received to-night ! j state that tho wind has gotio down, but it -j is impossiblo to .see' anything for the smoko, j .which is almost blinding. Slioujd a strong j "Breeze.spring up thore would still be great : danger of farmhouses being destroyed. i 'Up to tho present the damage has-boon ,j oonlfncd. to the loss ,of \sheep, fences, and i ' sheds;'and" as far as can bo ascertained, all' residence's ! are srife. Soma, however, wore j .saved only aftor strenuous offorts on tho ' i part.! of;.settlors,: some; of whom have had no. •: ! sleep since tho firo started. i -At Apiti Inst night the firo reached a ; position which apponred dangerous to tho - ; ' township, and residents wero on tho alert. -, j but, fortunatoly the wind, dropped and j danger ,was avortcd. The.grass is so dry that tho' firo "travels witY marvellous rapidity. A resident who has just returned from i Apiti states that there is no danger for the • j - -present.- — A- wide area of country right up . ; tho valloy is under firo, the flames having \ swept from Awahou to Ivomako., Mr. Stel- ■: man hadsa shod nnd a number of fences destroyed, ii and;.it is rpportbd that Mr. Link- '• , .latervhas lost his workshop. i It is impossible, up to the present, to . givo any estimate of tho damago done or tho . loss of stock until such time as mustering oaii be carried out. j Settlors' say tlmt this is the worst fire/,; since tho country was swept eight years ago. -i Part of the beautiful forest reserve was ; dostroyed. The firo c.imo from the top of j tho.ißunhino ranges down into tho valley. i It crossed tho Pohangina river and extended •..'right up: to,-tho country - in tho region, of \'i Apiti, which is studded with logs of fallen bush. J A splendid speotaclo was presented as tho fire fiend dovoured tho bush, tho grandeur being' intensified by the darkness of the ■ night. : > Later. . \ Communicating with'Pohangina nt 10.30 p.m., Mr. Culling, storekeeper, states that ' thoro aro no further developments. Owing to the denso smoko it is impossiblo to locato -< any signs, of fire, which mugt bo still burn- j ing strongly in the upper reaches. Settlers ■ arriving . in Pohangina since my previous . j communication; stato that the danger to foncog is considerable, but it is impossiblo to glean much information from Pohangina township, as the fire has practically left that locality , and extended into tho upper reaches. Settlors consequently aro engaged in fighting the flames. y , Mr. Culling considers the-position, when thorough investigations aro made, apart from loss of feed, may not bo so serious,' as settlors who havo feed undestroyed aro willing) . j to holp those less fortunate. FIRES AROUND SHANNON. [from oor special correspondent.] • Shannon, January 15. ; . The surrounding landscapo is shrouded in •; j> haze of smoke. Bilsh fires aro burning m .'

Hhe ranges Shannon and , levin. There was rather an alarming outbreak of I firo .on land in the neighbourhood of the ■ A flax-swamp at Tokomaru. Fortunately, the i wind ohanged to the , west, and the danger ! is now ovor; •- ■ It is ' surprising that, in spito" of the long drought and' the inflammable state of . the country, the Makerua Estate Company should 1 cpnfcinuo : to .burn off , thoj bush in the ri<jigh- ; bourhood of tho flax-swainp. Property owners in the .vicinity must feel- great anxiety atthe continued lighting,of'these fires during tho present abnormal dry.spell, .-. »• • '