BLAZE AT OKAIAWA

Hawera Star, Volume L, 11 September 1930, Page 4

BLAZE AT OKAIAWA

ANXIETY FOR HOUSE OCCUPANTS.

FEARS OF TRAGEDY RELIEVED

With its contents a four-roome dwelling situated, on the outskirts < the Okaiawa township was totally d< stroyedl by fire which was _ shortly !>efore six o’clock this mornin< Considerable anxiety concerning tl possibility of the occupiers bavin perished in the flames existed for son time, but it was eventually ascertains by the Hawera police that no one ha been in the house at the time of th outbreak. The house, which belongs to Mr W. A. Carroll, of Okaiawa, wa tenanted by Mr G. T. Woodward an his wife and two children, who had o< copied it only since Monday when the proceeded to Okaiawa from Hawera. At about twenty minutes to six thi morning a neighbour, Mr W. WalsdorJ noticed that the house was on fire. Th flames had then a firm hold of the ir terior andi though he tried doors an windows, he was unable, owing to th fierce heat/ and. smoke,' to. gain ad mittance with a view to arousing th family, which he then thought was ii the house. He was able to ascertain however, that a was not occu pied and took steps to summon help ii fighting the flames. The fire alam was given, but the scene wais too fa: from the water mains to permit the us< of the brigade hose, though, in a shor tune, a good number of fire fighters were ou the scene and, by the use o buckets filled from the bouse tanks succeeded in preventing the flames fron spreading to an outhouse and a motoi garage. It was impossible, however to quell the fire in the house itself oi to remove any of the contents an< within forty minutes of the time ii was first discovered the whole structuiv had collapsed. It was known that Mrs Woodwarc and! the children had proceeded to Neu , Plymouth on a holiday visit yesterday | morning. Mr Woodward, it was ascertained, had returned to Okaiawa aboad nine in the evening after spending the day in Hawera and it was at"firs 1 thought he had gone to the house foi the night. Grave fears that a tragedv had occurred were occasioned for a considerable time and search of the fire debris was made, but at ten o’clock the Hawera police ascertained that Mr Y\ oodward did) not -visit the house in the evening, but returned to Hawera where he spent the night The origin of the fire 'is unknown. So far as can ,be ascertained no one was m the house after Mr Woodward left it to proceed to Hawera about 10 o clock yesterday morning. The range nre had been used in the morning, but ™e embers were practically out when Mr Woodward departed. The house was insured by the owner and the contents bv the occupier, but both, it is stated, will be heavy losers.