STARTLING EXPERIENCES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 176, 11 July 1927, Page 5

STARTLING EXPERIENCES.

EXPLOSIONS IN COAL GRATES. NARROW ESCAPES. Wellington, July 10. Yesterday morning’s startling incident in the Ministerial office in Parliament Buildings, when an explosion in a grate upset the furniture and a typiste who happened to be the solo Occupant of the room, was repeated this afternoon in a private home, to the great consternation of tho occupants. A fire of small coal was burning in tho grate of the dining room of a house occupied by Mr W. Park, Kilbirmc, when the quiet peace of the moment was broken by a violent oxplosion. Bits of burning coal flew in all directions, and the room filled instantly with a cloud of acrid smoke. A little girl, the only one in the room at the time, screamed in terror, but fortunately she was on a sofa at the side of the room and did not receive the full force of the explosion, as, in her fright, she buried her head in the cushions and escaped injury. The mother rushed from the next room and, groping her way through the smoke, picked the child up ami carried her out.

Mr Parke by this time had reached the scene, and steps were taken to gather up the burning embers and clear the place of smoke. The walls showed signs of contact with the burning coals and the carpet suffered to some extent.

Presumably the explosion was due to a detonator that had remained unexploded during blasting operations in the mine. It was a terrifying experience for the household, which includes an elderly invalid in a nearby room, and the family were very fortunate that the results were no worse.