DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9432, 12 February 1894, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

C. T. WREN'S NURSERY BUILDINGS DESTROYED, 'j ~■'./'

ESTIMATED DAMAGE! OVER £1000.

ONLY £50 INSURANCE,,

CURIOUS ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. ] Yesterday forenoon at half-past ten o'clock ' ft fire broke out on the rooting of the con- - servatory buildings of Mr. C. ;T. Wren, the j well-known nursery Remuera. ■ ' The s tiro spread with such rapidity that the block j of ' buildings, consisting of conservatory, ] fernery bouse, packing shed, seed Ware*. « house, cart shed, arid assistant's dwelling < (two rooms) were burned to the ground, i All the Contents Saved Were the office books and some of the assistant's personal effects. ' The assistant, Mr. Edwin Greenfield, gives 1 the following account *of the affair :—He ] states that he Occupied aiV small , house J at : the- end of the block vof build-, ] frigs destroyed, and at naif-past ten , while in his room, he heard a noise like n , rushing wind. On looking out, he noticed c the packing shed on fire, near the roof. ' He rushed in to get his things, but only < succeeded in getting a part of them out, as the whole building was soon in flames. Mr. Wren, at) the time, Was Hitting in his Own residence, adjacent to the Block above . mentioned, when he saw smoke issuing " frdrn the roofing between the seed ware- ] house and the carfcahed. He soon saw J nothing could be done to combat the flames, ( and directed his attention to saving the i office books. * lb' was impossible to get out i the safe, and ib had to be left in its pdsi- t tion. Attention Was then turned to pro* ' tecting his own residence, and through the ( exertions of Mr. MackaV And ; Others, who J rendered willing aid, Mr&WWh's private ] residence was saved. •'-.''' ' i The seed shed was full of new seeds, and . the conservatory filled with valuable plants. s The only insurance on the block destroyed 1 was one of £50 in the Phoenix. Mr. Wren's - house,, which was slightly damaged,* was < ihStleiai for £150 with the same company. ] He estimates his loss as over £1000.* The ' origin of the fire is not definitely known, ( but Mr. Wreh'B theory) and it seems highly j probable, is that the action of the sun's . rays on the glass roofing set fire to the < woodwork, which Was very dry, , The Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, { went out to the scene of the fire, as did Constable Lamb, of Newmarket. ; • > «Mj»_i«_i______l i *" '" ••_.-