HUMAN TORCH

Northern Advocate, 15 September 1934, Page 8

HUMAN TORCH

SINGLE MAN BURNED CONDITION VERY SERIOUS. MAUNGATUROTO MISHAP. A single man, Mr Edward, Mahoney, is lying in Te Kopuru in a very serious condition, suffering from burns received when some benzine he was handling caught on fire at the Maungaturoto Hotel on Thursday evening. Mr Mahoney, whose home is in Auckland, hhd only been employed at the hotel since Monday. On Thursday evening ho went to a building some, distance from the hotel to refill the tank of a petrol engine used to-gen-erate electric power. There was a naked flame in the shed, and as Mr Mahoney was pouring the benzine, the spirit suddenly burst into flames. Benzine was splashed over Mr Mahoney’s clothing, and this also ignited. Like a human torch, Mr Mahoney ran into the yard calling for assistance.

The occupant of an upstairs bedroom heard the cries, and threw the bedclothes from his bed into the yard. Others in the hotel hurried to assist the burning man, and, with the bedclothes, smothered the flames. The engineroom fire was extinguished before it did much damage. The fire had burned Mr Mahoney’s clothes practically off his body, and he was suffering seriously from burns. Mr J. T. Caldwell, proprietor of the hotel, immediately rushed Mr Mahoney to the hospital at Paparoa, but yesterday it was found necessary to remove him to Te Kopuru Hospital some 30 miles away. The injured man was taken in the St. John ambulance.

Mr Mahoney was in a very serious condition today.