BUSH FIRES AVERTED

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2340, 9 January 1926, Page 7

BUSH FIRES AVERTED

TIMELY DOWNPOUR OF RAIN.. WORK OP THE FOREST SERVICE The rain on New Tear’s Eve pre-; vented an outbreak of bush fires on a very large scale. Mr. S. A. C. Darby, officer In charge of Palmerston North office of the State Forest Service .stated that a series of outbreaks in the Talhape and TaumarunUi districts had promised to develop intofires of most serious dimensions but for the rain. Fortunately the almost entire absence of wind prior to the iain had not fanned the outbreaks, and the damage actually done was was much less than had been feared, the areas affected being principally sections of bush which had been aL ready milled. . Eight members of the staff had been engaged in patrolling the northern districts and their task of quelling outbreaks had been one of difficulty, tor campers and picnickers had been lax in putting out their Ares after having boiled their billies. One member of the staff! had reported that he had been required to quench four fires in one day, it being evident that they had been lit by motorists. Another, who had carried out an inspection of the countryside from a point of vantage on Mount Ruepehu, his examination extending over a radius of approximately 25 miles, had reported no fewer than 82 fires of various dimensions, some of the areas affected being approximately 100 acres in extent. A heavy bank of smoke had covered the countryside, and, but for the advent of rain, it had been feared the outbreak would be greater than the big fire at Raetihi some years ago.

Hawke’s Bay, which haft experlr

onoed a particularly dry spell, like wise suffered, a fire having raged a period in the Puketitlri district, btf fortunately the damage to building! was of a minor nature.