FATAL FIRE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 10

FATAL FIRE

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WOMAN'S LIFE LOST

MAN LEAPS FROM TOP FLOOR

A fire, which broke out in a house in Hay street, off Oriental Bay, about midnight last night, swept through the building with dramatic suddenness. Tho owner, Mrs. Ellen Watson, aged 07, collapsed near an open window at tho rear .after a desperate attempt had been vnado to rescue her, and her dead body was found by the Fire BrigSae when the flames wero brought under control. One of the boanlv" flss, Mr. Walter Gray, an accountant, ■of Sydney, aged 40, jumped from a window into the yard and received injuries, as a result of which he is now lying in the Wellington Hospital in a fairly serious condition. The outbreak occurred in No. 2, Hay Street, a wooden building of ten rooms on three floors. The bottom floor, a basement, was let as a flat and was occupied by Mr. E. A. Bennett, and the remainder of the house was used partly by Mrs. Watson and partly as a residential annexe to No. 236, Oriental Bay, a boarding-house owned and occupied, by Miss A. Aubrey. When the fire brigadesmen arrived they were told that Mrs. Watson was in the front bedroom on the top floor, and they accordingly concentrated all their efforts on that part of the building. The flames were shooting from practically every window, and the task was a difficult one, but in about ten jninutes the fire was under control sufficiently to enable the men to get into Mrs. Watson's room. She was not there, but a search through the rest of. tho rooms revealed her dead body Jiear the bathroom window. She was badly burned. VAIN ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE. It is surmised that Mrs. Watson, hfter calling for help from the front bedroom window, groped her way through the dense smoke to gain the l-ear stairway leading down to the kitishen, which was not on fire. On her way she would have to pass through the place where the fire was at its height, and she probably lost her sense of direction and found herself in the There she appeared at the window crying for help, and a courageous attempt to rescue her was made by several of the boarders. With great difficulty, owing to the intense heat and blinding smoke, a ladder was placed on the kitchen landing, but it was too short, and Mrs. Watson was seen to fall back into the bathroom. To a younger and more agile person it would not have been impossible to reach the ladder from tho bathroom, but Mrs. Watson's age and condition of health made it out of the question. The fire had its origin on the ground floor, as distinct from tho basement, and soon mounted to the top floor, cutting off ! escape by the in,ain staircase. It was past this staircase that Mrs. Watson had to make her way to reach the bathroom. Mr. Gray's room was between the two staircases, and he had only to go a few yards to reach safety flown the- back stairs. MR. GRAY'S JUMP. It is understood that Mr. Gray returned to his room after the alarm had been given to get some papers—he was leaving on Friday to rejoin his wife at Sydney—and on his way out again, assuming that the door into the kitchen Was locked, he rushed into tho bathroom and jumped into the yard. He was picked up unconscious and immediately was taken to the Hospital, suffering principally from head injuries, burns, and shock. An X-ray examination is being carried out to-day to ascertain whether he is also suffering from internal injuries. He recovered consciousness this morning, but his condition is stated to be fairly serious. Nos. 2 and 4, Hay street, are in the same building, but are separated by a brick wall. The owner of No. 4, which was' on the point of catching fire, is Mrs. C. Z. A. Mincher, postmistress at Pirinoa, near Fcatherston. The building is insured in the Standard Office for £1450. Mrs. W. M, Toms is the occupier. No. 2, with its contents, was severely damaged by fire and water. It is insured in the Alliance Office for £1500, and Mrs. Watson also had a cover of £300 on the contents which belonged to her. Tho insurance on th.c contents of the three rooms leased by Miss Aubrey is held by the Eagle, Star, and British Dominions Office, but the amount is not available. Miss Aubrey's htrase was severely scorched at the rear. Mrs. Watson was the widow of the late Mr. George Watson, formerly chief feanitary inspector in the employ of jthe Wellington City Council.