CHILDREN BURNT

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 September 1934, Page 9

CHILDREN BURNT

A MAORI TRAGEDY. IdlEi: I’KESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, September 5. A two year-old child, Mary Habib, was burned to death and her elder sister was severely injured, in a Are which, with tragic suddenness, destroyed their father’s home at Oranui Maori Pa, about 13 miles from Taupo, this afternoon. The two children were aloneHn the house. The father, who is employed in State forestry plantations, was at work, and the mother was visiting. The elder sister, who is aged 11, was lighting a fire in the kitchen, and decided to use kerosene to start it. Details are not known, but, apparently, some of the kerosene fell on her foot and ignited. Fortunately, her dress did not catch fire, but the child was terrified and ran to tell her mother. In the meantime, (lames set lire to the house. The child ran nearly threequarters of a mile-to her mother, and by the time she had returned with her, the house was a sea of flames. Only then was it realised that a younger child had been left in the house. It was impossible to make any attempts to save her. The house which was old and built of wood, was blazing throughout, and within a short time was destroyed. The body of the child was later found near one of the doors. The tragedy was made more poignant by the fact that other houses in the Pa are quite close. Other children, including brothers and sisters of the deceased child, were playing in the Pa at the tijne, but by the time the outbreak was noticed, the fire had gained control of the house. There was no insurance on the house or contents.

FATAL SCALDS. MASTERTON, September 5. . Scalds that proved fatal were received by the twenty-months-old daughter of Mr and Airs Robert Crothcrs, of Smith Street, Masterton, on Tuesday afternoon. The child apparently tripped, and fell into a basin of hot dye, being badly scalded on , the back. She immediately was taken to the hospital, where death occurred this afternoon.