BURNED TO DEATH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20385, 23 October 1940, Page 6

BURNED TO DEATH

WOMAN OF 70 YEARS DWELLING DESTROYED FIRE IN AFTERNOON ESCAPE OF HUSBAND (Per PrfRS Association.-) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. A woman aged 70 years. Mrs. Louie Rowe, was burned to death when her home at. 41 Curletts road. Upper Riccarton, was completely destroyed by fire at about 4 p.m. yesterday. Her husband, Mr. Owen John Rowe, aged 81, was able to escape from the building, and his attempts to return and rescue his wife were unsuccessful. The house was outside the Christchurch Fire Board’s area, and there was no water supply available to combat the blaze. It spread very quickly and the house, an old onestorey wooden building, was burned to the ground in a very short time. Afternoon Rest About 1 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe retired to their bedroom for the afternoon rest. There was a fire burning in the front room. Later in the afternoon Mr. Rowe got out of bed and went towards the front room to replenish the fire. He saw smoke coming up through the passage from the back of the house, and immediately called his wife. He saw her getting out of bed and then went out through the front door. He then found that his wife had been unable to get out and he tried to enter the house, but was prevented by 'the spread of the tire both at the back and front. The house was completely destroyed :n a very short time. At 5 p.m. Sergeant J. J. Kearns, with three constables, discovered the charred body of Mrs. Rowe in the debris.