Another Extensive Grass Fire

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 55, 7 March 1939, Page 6

Another Extensive Grass Fire

AREA AT MOTUITI SWEPT Another gruss fire of some magnitude swept au area of about 150 acres between Himatangi and Alotuiti yesterday afternoon and caused alarm to settlers in the vicinity. The men who responded to a call for help had ana anxious time as the flames at one period seemed as if they would destroy the house on the farm owned by Dr. Wall. The outbreak started, us far us could be ascertained last evening, on the property of Mr. 8. Austin and then spread into the Barber Estate. Fanned by a gentle wind, the lire spread through tho grass with amazing rapidity and robbed the farms of a large amount of valuable feed. That was one of the serious aspects of the fire, for, as one farmer put it last evening, they could not afford to lose even dry grass with the feed for stock so short as it is at the present time. The fire was first noticed at about 12.30, a short time after the train had passed, and the men wero occupied the bets part of the afternoon in getting it under control. Last night a patrol was watching to see if it broke out again so that the flames could bo Rrrested before they did any damage. A second grass lire was reported in the urea lying between Alunawatu Heads and Waitarere yesterday utternoon and from the big columu of smoke that could be observed it was thought to be of fairly large dimensions. A small fire occurred at the turn off to the Waitarere Beach alongside the maiu south road. This was extinguished before any major damage was tained.

All around the areas contiguous to Foxton the smoke of grass fires was to be seen yesterday afternoon and the danger in that locality appears to be such as to warraut the taking of precautions to safeguard farming land.