SERIOUS FIRE AT AUCKLAND

Evening Star, Issue 15072, 2 January 1913, Page 8

SERIOUS FIRE AT AUCKLAND

OLD MAN BURNT TO DEATH. A destructive fire occurred yesterda, [ morning at Birkenhead, a suburb o Auckland, and Thomas M'Lean, a re [ tired master mariner, 70 years of age lost his life. The outbreak originated in a smal , cottage occupied by M'Lean, and th . fire destroyed this building and tw. [ stables and other structures, compris ; ing part of Messrs C. Verran and Son' ; hostelry. The buildings destroys ; covered about three-quarters of an acre ' The available water supply was in tank t on the seaward side of the burnin; ; building, and therefore unattainable | and nothing could be done except t pull down all the buildings connecte with neighboring premises. Unes pected assistance arrived in two lonp boats from the German man-of-wa • Cormoran, which put off at the firs sight of the fire. The crew carried 5 full firemen's outfit of ropes, buckets hatchets, smoke jackets, and helmets 5 and attacked the dangerous sheds wit 5 such goodwill, that everything was soo > in comparative safety. Had it not bee . tor their prompt action in extinguish. > ing the fire, which spread to Messr ' Smith and Hortou's workshop, half . dozen houses, which adjoin each othe > in an easterly direction, would probabl have been destroyed. Had the win p been westerly nothing could have save 3 them. Mr Verran estimates the dan - age at £2,000. The premises were ir 6 sured, but the amount of the cove , cannot be ascertained. j An inquest was held in regard t . the death of M'Lean, and a verdict c i "Accidental death " returned.