JIBE AT MOUNT ALBERT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14146, 23 August 1909, Page 5

JIBE AT MOUNT ALBERT.

EIGHT-ROOMED HOUSE p DESTROYED. W^: :: ■ ' - J; / OCCUPANTS NARROW ESCAPE. 'A fire at Mount. Albert on Saturday cveu- ; ing destroyed the home of Mr. J. S. Orr, a carpenter, who at the time of the out- • : 'r break was asleep in bed. Mrs. Orr and : hereon had gone into town, and Mr. Orr tgsretired to bed at about eight p.m., leaving a candle burning. He lapsed into a doze, and awoke between 8 and 8.30 p.m. •' to find that the room was filled with - v smoke and flame. In making his escape Mr. Orr had his moustache and some hair ' singed. Once outside ho directed his efforts towards removing a quantity of tools from the basement, which he had used as ■ ■ i workshop. Meantime the blaze had been noticed by Mr. A- C. Caughey, who resides near by, : md he and his son assisted Mr. Orr in V Salvaging the contents of the basement. A %'U crowd soon assembled, but the onlookers ■ were powerless to prevent the demolition -> 'of the eight-roomed villa which Mr. Orr had recently built. The Kingsland Fire Brigade, with their hand reels, arrived on the scene with commendable promptitude, and were in time to prevent, the. flames from spreading. Mr. Orr's residence was located in Richardson's Road, and was J isolated from other buildings, but. the tire : gained hold in some adjoining trees, and • bid frequently to be extinguished in this : - Jirection. .;/, Mr. Orr had taken considerable pair* in :; ;i , taring out his home. He valued the house it approximately £600, and the furniture it about £300. The house was insured ■:l in the New Zealand office and Imperial r',, office for £400 and the. contents in the ■ .Imperial office for £270. Mrs. Caughey V 'and other neighbours.proffered assistance, and the homeless family were taken in by Mrs. Simms. The origin of the fire is shrouded in mystery, the more so because when Mr. Orr awoke to realise that the house was in femes the candle was still burning by his ;'; 'bedside, and did not appear to have been capable of, igniting anything in the ; '' vicinity '