KHANDALLAH ALARMED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 123, 17 February 1908, Page 8

KHANDALLAH ALARMED.

CATCHMENT AREA SWEPT BY FIRE. HOUSES IN DANGER. VOLUNTEERS CALLED OUT. Many residents of Khandallah spent an anxious timo yesterday, t and for all it was a day of excitement. For several hours duras if bush fires, which on Saturday had como swe-eping through tho - bush at tho rear of tho township, would reach a number of houses uncheckcd. Its native bush is one of tlio natural adornments of the littlo hill suburb, and extends from tlio ranges at the back down to tho outskirts of the township. Many fine houses nestlo in tho' picturesque edges of tho Domain, which is a considerable area of nativo bush specially set asido somo timo ago by Khandallah as a scenic reserve. Tho danger yesterday was that tho firo would reach this reserve, and last night tho possibility was still present.

Residents of Khandallah saw fire on tho ranges some miles distant two' or threo weeks ago, but it seemed too far, off to trouble them. Some say tho firo started at Ohariu,' others that rabbiters sot it going., But ill tho immediate vicinity of Khandallah no traces of firo wero sqen till . Friday. Then suddenly, so it is said, . the area which tho. Borough of . Onslow intends to take , as a water-shed area (if ■a * poll this, week is carried) became ablaze. The area covers two or. threo hundred acres of hills and'deep valleys. Tho firo travelled through tho dead trees along tho ridges and down tho valleys, and on Saturday had reachcd Mr. Izard's bush. Yesterday, fanned' by a rising north-west wind, it was carried across a deep gully and into the vicinity of the Domain, and closo to Mr. J. Alexander's houso at tho top of Clarke Street.

The Khandallah residents could do littlo to prevent its on-coming, but many hung about and went up through the bush on to tho ridges to watch.

The largo dead trees wero the fire's connecting links.. A gust of wind'would fan a crackling branch into .a furious blaze, and, detaching a flaming fragment, would carry it .away several yards. Presently from somo nest of cabbage, dry as tinder, high up in a tree in tho track of tho wind, 'flames would shoot out, and thon in a little time another big, victim would bo going merrily. It was wonderful tho rapidity with which tho firo travelled from dead tree to dead treo. After a timo the burning trees would fall with a groat crash, sotting alight to tho dry underscrub. , - . v- . . .

Tilth the wind blowing as it was yesterday morning, Mr; J. Alexander's house was directly in the track of the firo, wid ho and several residents spent the hours on guard. ,Mr. Clarke's house also stood in the danger zone. ' At mid-day tho whole locality was, wrapped in dense smoko, and tho firo had, reached to within a chain of' Mr. Alexander's, back yard. Littlo could be done, as the danger was aloft in tho high trees. Fuiriiture was removed from the houso, and carried a short distance down tho road. Tlio. residents then decided to ask for assistance from the Permanent Artillery, who once before had performed similar service at Khandallah, and as a result of telephonic messages Colonel'Webb decided to send out a detachment from Mahanga Bay camp. The message was sent at two • o'clock,. and at. 3,30 sixty-six men .wore at Khandallah. They quickly wero deployed in the thick bush, and for an hour the uniformed-men belaboured the burning underscrab with long cudgels. Fortunately, tho wind fell considerably, and veered round, carrying the fira past the houses - and further up the ridge, and at 5.30. anixiety, as far as Mr. Alexander's house, and it-3 neighbour, - Mr. Clarke's; were concerned, was*, practically at an end—at all events, until another change of wind should, tako place. _ The fire still continued to burn away in isolated dead trees a couple of chains distant. •

Up t-o this , time tho Domain Reserve was untouched. , Connecting it and the affectcd area,; however,. was a fairly wide stretch of bush at the top of a ridge. At 7 o'clock last night this- ( connecting link was aflamo in ono;or, two places;. and the chances were that the firo would got > amongst tho dead trees in the Domain. This, would mean an anxious timo for people whoso. houses stood at tho foot of tho Domain slope. These residents included tho Mayor of Onslow (Mr.vJ, G. Harknoss), who during tho whole'day was on tho sceno of the fire, Messrs. Bybles and. James, and 'a littlo further away Messrs. Mansfield, Plimmor, and others. ; Ono or two familios commenecd to .prepare their furniture for removal, but woro persuaded to lot things alone for' tho present. If the fire should get into the Domain these houses aro unlikely to bo oridaiigered, oxcopt by travelling cinders, for at least twelvo hours. With littlo prospect of rain, and a likelihood of tho wind continuing, Khandallah seems destined to spend an anxious day or two, for it will tako tho . firo iu tho dead troes same timo to turn out, and a, sudden change of wind might renew the danger. The coming of' the military - assisted to liven things up very considerably in ..tho smoke-oppressed_ township. Tho ' sixty-six men (twenty-eight ,of the Wellington Navals, eighteen of thtPNo.. 3 Company, and twenty of tlie Permanent Artillery) arrived in a drag and ono of the Permanent Artillery waggons. They had marched from Mahauga' Bay to Mirainar .junction, " and caught a special tram, which carried them to the Government' Station, 1 w'hero tho con-, yeyances were in'waiting., After tho work in the bush there came the question of tea ; but while tho men had been fighting fire Khandallah residents had been 'ransacking' cupboards and meat-safe3 f A cart sped tho. rounds, and by tho' timo tile men wero collected , a ' miscellaneous assortment . was spread temptingly out in a quiet dell. A cow was'.driven up and milked on tho spot, tea ;was boiled, and everybody supped woll. It was a pleasant and unique scene, but it had . a sinister background in tho flaming trees, which, as night : fell, becomo hugo glaring torches. . Now' : and then a louil : crash would cause all to turn, and myriads of sparks.'would fly up. Strange as'it might seem, a. falling tree Was -hailed' with, a sigh of. relief by the settlors, for it moant that danger-in 'each caso. wa3. reduced.'.

At 7.15 tho'; temporary camp was broken 1 up, the men foil in to tho'tune of the unaccustomed bugle, marched through Khandallah's by-ways,, and back homo via . tho liaiwarra Iload. They left behind.them sixteen of tho Permanent Artillery ,to keep, guard, during tho night. ~'Tne company marclied to the Kaiwarra Wharf, where they, wero met by the Janio Seddon and taken back to camp.' •.- • Among tho bush properties swept by' fire were those of Messrs. Bull, Clapham, Aplin, Waters, Hobbs, Alexander, and Izard. Practically the whole of the'proposed catchment area of the Onslow water supply was. swept. Tho Mayor (Mr. Harkness). and otliors were apprehensive that mucli damage had been dono .to the bush,;but it was early yesterday to say to what extent. Tho poll; however, to authorise: tho purchase -of the area, will be proceeded with. . V OUTBREAK AT NEWTOWN PARK. What is supposed to be carelessness on the part of somo small boys,who were playing with matches, resulted in a serious grass fire at Newtown Park yesterday. At 10.49 in tho morniug tho Fire Brigado recoived a call from the Russell Tcrraco alarm box'to an outbreak amongst the trees on tho western side of the park. The outbreak was not got under until about nino aorcs of trees, grass, and scrub, also some post and rail foncing, had been seriously-damaged. ■ At 1.35 in : tho afternoon the Brigado was again called'to tho samo locality, when another five acres of grass and trees were damaged. A considerable number of pcoplo,' including firomcn', Corporation employees, polico, and civilians, wero engaged in endeavouring to beat tho .firo out. After several hours' work, tho flames woro checked, and . somo of tho Corporation employees were left on tho spot to watch in caso of further developments; Tho polico havo taken tho matter in hand, and aro making inquiries with a view to tracing tho boys who aro supposed to liavo caused tho lire. - .

it should not bo necessary to issuo any further warning about tho .danger of lighting fires in any of tho reserves during tho presont dry' weather, or that no pormits for tho burning of rubbish will bo issued whilst tho drought