THE BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 115, 7 February 1908, Page 9

THE BUSH FIRES.

POSITION AT APITI. ; : (nT TELEGRAPH —"SPECIAT. CORRESPONDENT.) '' . ' . Ffilding, February 6. Mr. J. A. M'Kcnno writes to tho;" -Feild-. ing Star" from Apiti as follows:—".The fires, are still a great source of anxiety here. ■ Table Flat is like a great- furnace. It is hard to get reliable news,_ but 1 believe that quite a nunibor of outbuildings are burned, as .well as tho'mill. I saw a man tb-day nearly blind from the effects ; of smoke. 1 TJio fires. >.aro approaching Bennett's, and I am afraid we may still have bad times here. Soi far tho manso is safo» but a large treo .is .burning just across the road.'' '-. Mr. Gould, of Table Flat, is one of tho greatest sufforcrs by the fire this week', having, lost nearly four hundred ewes. His loss would have been greater but for the county roadmon, who turned a number of - sheep out on to the road. Sir.' Gould 'says that during his residence, of over twenty yeafs at Table Flat he has not . seen so much destruction; wrought as the preseut drought. : There is hardly a blade of grass left in the district; the fires having destroyed .what tho dry weather had spared. It. is impossible ,to obtain au accurate' statement- or the individual damage done, but Mr. Gould says that a large number of settlers inust have lost very heavily.

FRESH OUTBREAKS. IN NELSON! (BY TELEGEArtt-fRESS ASSOCUTIOS,). Nelson, February 6. : Bhsh fires have, broken oiifc again in various parts of the district, and a repetition of- tho serious conflagrations of three 'weeks ago is threatened. Two sawmills and a number of farm buildings at Wangapoka are in danger of destruction.