FOUR SHOPS DESTROYED AT RANUiuaA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, 7 June 1909, Page 2

FOUR SHOPS DESTROYED AT RANUiuaA.

CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday. Files at llangiora have been frequent. Another occurred at 4 o'clock this morning, giving rise to suspicion of incendiarism. The outbreak, as on a previous occasion, was in an unoccu- I pied building. This time the f/.e was ] in the centre of the town, and four s shops and a small office were destroyed. ( The fire broke out in a small shop, the propery of Mr Mark Scott, nearly opposito the New Zealand Co-operative Stores, and which up to Wednesday was used as a laundry by Miss Mardon. It was about to be removed, Mr Scott having decided to build a new house I on the site. Attached was a small , offlce, also about to be removed, ;-iid which was vacated by the tenant on Friday. Two shops and dwellings that adjoined, also Mr Scott's property, were occupied by Mr Ball, watchm-iker, and Miss Mardon. On the other tide to where the outbreak occurred was a motor bicycle shop, twned by Mr Evans. All these premises were ds stroyed or gutted beyond repair. Mr Ball's family discovered the fire in time to escape in their night-dresses. t'i.e Fire Brigade did good work. There is good reason to believe that the fire was the work of an incendiary. The back door and windows had oeen fmoved preparatory to shifting, "htre had been no fire in the building for three or four days, and no sign of fire had been seen by passers-by. The 'nfivrances were : — On Mr Scott's buiHi.izs, £375 in the Royal office ;on Mr Bail's stock, £250 in the Victoria and £40 in the Standard; on Mr Evans' premises, £150 in the State office ; on Mr Carter s stock, £150, also in the State office. The total loss is considerably over the insurances.