FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13392, 22 January 1907, Page 5

FIRES.

SHOPS DAMA(JED AND HOUSE DESTROY ED. [BY TKI.KI.KAI'H, PRISS ASSOCIATION'.] w Kl.l.lN',ion. Monday. A KIRK broke out ill the < rockery shop of W. Bath, and .spread to the pork butcher's shop next door, occupied by 1!. Bateinau. Both were damaged. The insurances on the stock are in the New Zealand office, and the buildings in the London and Lancashire (Jo in ] ran . Another file occurred in an eightroomed house occupied by ,L Daly, and situated in Willis-street. The house and i ontents were destroyed. The furniture was insured for £200 in the Alliance office. A FLAX MILL DEMOLISHED, [BY Tl-I.f ill'. U'H. —J'RKSS association. i Hokitika, Monday, Mr. Burroughs' flaxmil! at W<itaroa was destroyed by tire on Saturday afternoon. The loss, including hemp destroyed, is estimated at £1200.

A lire, which occurred at .Avondale early on Saturday morning last, totally destroyed a building and contents belonging to Mr. James Rinsted, butcher. The structure was used as a boiling-down works, and besides a plant, consisting of three boilers, there was a stock of sheep and bullock skins and tallow, the whole of the property being valued at £114. It appears that when boiling down is to be done the usual practice is to fill the boilers overnight, arid bank up a tire, leaving ii unattended till morning. This course was followed on Friday night, and when tic employee, Albert Henton, left the' building at about ten o'clock everything was apparently safe. Ill' fire, however, broke out between three and four o'clock in the morning, and demolished the building before any of the contents could be saved. It is surmised that the tire originated through the fat boiling over, and running along the floor gave the flame- a good clianoo to burn fiercely. The building and boilers were covered by a risk for £75 with the New Zealand Insurance Company.