DAMAGE BY FIRE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 119, 15 February 1944, Page 4

DAMAGE BY FIRE

Devastation In Taupo Area PLEA FOR PROTECTION

Wellington people, who visit Taupo for the holiday period for fishing in the lake and rivers there, have returned this year full of lamentation over the destruction by recent disastrous fires of the beautiful acacia trees which for long have graced Western Bay, shading campers and picnickers. They have also heartily deplored the almost complete wiping ! out of other trees and shrubbery which picturesquely covered the hillsides down to the water’s edge. It is not definitely known how the fire started. It spread devastation for some miles beyond the Taupo area, threatening cottages and the lives of people in residence in various snug spots of the district. Some visitors declared that the fire, which was the worst experienced in Taupo, was due to irresponsibly forgotten embers of a fire which had boiled a “billy,” or to the careless tossing of a lighted match or cigarette butt into the scrub.

Today Taupo people, aided by the local town board, are keener than ever to see some measures of protection rigidly enforced against further fires on the lakesides and in the town itself. On his recent visit to the district the town board put its case to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry. “Frequently in our country there is the cry for freedom of action, but freedom of action without a sense of responsibility is disastrous from the national point, of view,” stated Mr. Parry. He would, he added, be in favour of passing a law to penalize anybody who irresponsibly or wilfully caused fires resulting in damage to public property or injury to citizens. He considered that residents and local bodies should take reasonable precautions to prevent the spread of fire by keeping the district clean of rubbish and bv the provision of fire-breaks where desirable. He did not consider it was desirable to curtail all freedom in the matter of lighting fires in safe places for the enjoyment by - travellers and picnickers of tea and camp meals in the open. An extension of the provision of properly constructed fireplaces in the open in places where picnickers were likely to have refreshments seemed to him to be desirable and to be a step in the direction of lessening the fire risk. Fire District Advocated.

The chairman of the town board, Dr. Scaife Armstrong, urged that either Taupo be declared a fire district or special legislation be introduced to give the town board power to deal with the very real risk which now existed. The greatest risk arose outside the town district, but a fire starting outside could easily sweep inside, devastating a greater part, if not all, of the town district. It seemed nobody’s business, and yet somebody must form a plan and make provision to combat the menace of fire which so drastically had been brought home to them a few weeks previously. Mr. V. Fail, a member of the board, said an early outbreak of fire and the prevention of its spreading, seemed to be nobody’s business, as had been indicated in the disastrous recent fires of the district. Such fires in the Taupo district might easily cause great loss of life and, even if not that, considerable loss of the Dominion’s assets —forests, grasslands, and native bush. There were too many irresponsible people about, and the Taupo Town Board, which was fire-minded, was instituting proceedings against people who lighted fires within the town district at certain periods of the year. Unfortunately the board could not sb act in respect of fires lighted outside its district.