FIRE AT OTAHUHU.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6827, 3 October 1883, Page 5

FIRE AT OTAHUHU.

Odb Otahuhu correspondent, writing yesterday, sajs:—"A. fire occurred here this morning, abont half-past one o'clock, by whbh i;he shop and dweHing-bouße. occupied by Mr. Ardern, butcher, was totally' destroyed. Mr. Ardern was awoke by the noise of falliDg crockery, and had barely time to arouse the family before the house was in a blaze. The family had retired to bed about eleven o'clock, when everything appeared to be safe, and no smell or signs of fire about the house. The house contained six rooms, with a sleeping apartment upstairs, and shop used by Mr. Ardern as a butcher's shop. Besides Mr. Ardern and his family of. five, there were two servants and a lady visitor sleeping in the hou3e at the time, and they had barely time to «et out in their night clothes before the whole of the inside was a mass of flames. It was some little time before anyone heard the calls of " Fire 1" " Fire !" but, as they came on the scene, everyone lent a williog hand to prevent the adjoining house, occupied by Mr. Todd, from catching fire. Mr. Ardern cannot account for the fire, other than that thero was a fault in the stalk of the chimney, near the. ceiling. There was no moro than the ordinary kind of fire in the grate during the day and evening, and very little left' in the grate on going to bed. Had there been any wind at *.he time, there would have been no possibility of saving Mr, Todd's house. As it was, it got a severe scorching on the side nearest to Mr. Ardern's. Fortunately, there was a pretty good supply of water in the two wells close by. The heat was so intense that it burnt the telegraph wires, which are erected on the outer side of the footpath. The whole came down with a crash, and nearly injured some of those who were working. The house was insured by the owner, Mr. Vuglar, but I cannot learn in what office, Mr. Ardern had his stock and furniture also insured for £100, in the Royal. Mr. Todd's is insured in the Colonial, but it will not take much" to repair the damage in his case,"'