PROPERTIES ENDANGERED

Evening Star, Issue 25047, 14 December 1943, Page 4

PROPERTIES ENDANGERED

INCIDENCE OF GORSE FIRES'

NOXIOUS WEEDS ACT IGNORED Gorse and grass fires have been abnormally high this month, the services of the City Fire Brigade being needed on 10 different occasions to extinguish them. A combination of dry weather and carelessness has been the major reason for these outbreaks, but one important cause is the alarming indifference shown by property owners around Dunedin to their obligations requiring them to keep, their holdings clear of noxious weeds. There also seems tp be: a curious official indifference to I the penalties that can be inflicted under the Noxious Weeds Act. which has apparently been shelved " for the tibn " because of shortage of labour, dorse and broom just now gaily circle the city, and while their warm, golden colours mav be an attractive enough sMit, thev constitute a potential source of danger to houses .that are near them. .' , ■ Commenting on the incidence of this tvpe of outbreak, an officer of the brigade said! to-day that, the principal concern of the city and suburban fire services was that when a grass or gorse fire occurred the efficiency of the entire metropolitan brigade was impaired if there was a more serious outbreak in the city area itself through the absence at these " nuisance " calls of men and machines. A considerable amount of hose was used often to fight the flames at gorse blazes, and since war conditions demanded strict conservation of this plant it appeared rather futile to employ it for the purpose of checking fires, that could be reduced trt a minimum, even in dry weather, if owners of paddocks infected with noxious weeds such as gorge and broom would clear them. It was pointed out that even if the owners did elect to clear their properties by burning as a substitute for grubbing operations, they' would safeguard themselves and the brigade's interests were they to take sensible precautions, such as first of all creating a fire-break. DANGEROUS AREAS. Prosecutions are to be taken in cases where it can be proved that gorse is deliberately fired without initial precautions to prevent the spread of the flames One glaring case of a nonchalant attitude as regards danger to property occurred last week, a paddock of gorse being set alight and endangering several houses in the Anderson's Bay district. The occupants had to evacuate their homes because of the dense billows of smoke, yet the owner of the paddock had been highly indignant when machines arrived to extinguish the fire. Inhabited localities where the danger through fires of this kind are worst are in Stone street (Kaikorai'Valley), and in the Anderson's Bay and North T east Vallev areas. The . experience, of the brigade 1 !: officials is that children are responsible through carelessness for many of the outbreaks, as. now that school holidavs have begun, they have plenty of leisure time to, plav. in the bush and indulge in the forbidden cigarette or other activities away from the parental eye. :