FIRES STILL RAGING

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 February 1947, Page 6

FIRES STILL RAGING

FRESH OUTBREAKS IN BELL HILL AREA LULL PROVES TEMPORARY Hopes held yesterday afternoon that the fire which had devastated over 80 acres of cutover bush country between Kotuku and Bell Hill had been mastered were short-lived. Only a relatively small party of men had been left to watch the smouldering embers, and late last night, with the springing up of a light breeze, the fire rekindled, and with short notice the flames again began racing through the second growth bush and scrub. The alarm was given and firefighters from the surrounding districts again began a battle against the fire to prevent it spreading into valuable standing timber on the fringe of the cut-over area. By this morning hopes were again held that the worst of the danger was over, but once again there was only a brief respite for the volunteer firefighters. Fire-fighters Reinforced.

A message was received at Nga- , here this morning that the fire had assumed dangerous proportions and" a fresh party of men was dispatched from that district to supplement the fire-fighting parties from Bell Hill, Nelson Creek, and Kotuku. The sawmills in these areas are again idle to-day, while the employees and managements concentrate all their efforts on confining the fires to the cut-over areas. Wheye possible fire breaks are being cut and stirrup pumps are being used to good effect where there is a supply of water s v&ilcible* It was reported last night that there was a possibility of the fire getting a hold in a valuable area of State forest, where the monetary loss would be infinitely greater than in the existing area of the fire. The Conservator of State Forests at Hokitika, Mr. R. B. Collett, and State Forest Service employees from Totara Flat and other parts of the West Coast are engaged in the fire-fight-ing- , Once More Under Cohtrol. Early this morning advice was received in Nelson Creek that it appeared that this morning’s concentrated efforts to quell the flames and confine the fire area had been successful, and that once again the outbreak was under control without it having reached the standing bush. Although there is a lack of water in the area, as a resuit m the p - longed dry spell and the undergrowth is getting drier every day, there has been a fortunate absence of strong winds, which has simpnfiec the fire-fighting efforts.

SCRUB FIRE AT KARORO - CAUSES ALARM A fire which spread rapidly through gorse and other scrub on the foreshore at Karoro yesterday afternoon damaged fences surrounding the abattoirs and threatened the pavilion on the Karoro Domain. The alarm was given a few minutes before 5 o’clock and engines from the High street and Central fire stations were soon on the scene. Wit the aid of the auxiliary water supply (200 gallons) carried by the engine from the High street station, the brigade quickly extinguished the hie and prevented serious damage. In dications were that the fire had been started in two separate areas.