LIVES LOST IN FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19929, 24 April 1928, Page 10

LIVES LOST IN FIRE.

MAN AND SISTER PEEISH. BROTHER'S NARROW ESCAPE. HOUSE BURNED TO GROUND. TRAGEDY NEAR WAIMATE. [BY TELEGRAPH.' —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WAIMATE. Monday. A rnan and his sister were burned to death early on Sunday morning, when ' their home, situated at Wait una, was destroyed by fire. A brother narrowly escaped, Tho victims were:—Francis John O'Brien, aged 68. unmarried, and Freda Bertha O'Brien, aged 59, unmarried. The brother who escaped, just beforo the roof fell in, bv clambering through a window, is Ernest James O'Brien, aged 57. The house, which was a landmark, .having been erected for over 50 years, was reduced to nothing but cinders and twisted iron. The survivor awoke about 6 a.m., jo find his room full of smoke. Ho rushed to warn the other two, but the way to their rooms was blocked by flames. He shouted to awaken his brother, but ceived no reply. He rushed back ink, his bedroom, seized a few clothes, and jCMped out of the window. Rushing rou>J th# house, he shouted to his sister it her window, and just as he received a reply the red-hot roof fell in. The charred remains of the two victim# were recovered later. As his watch and braces were found ," on O'Brien's remains, it is surmised that he returned home tired, late on Saturday night, lay down on his bed fully clothed and fell asleep, leaving burning a kerosene lamp or candle. An inquest, was held to-day before the acting-coroner, Mr. D, Dash, and a jury. Ernest James O'Brien, brother of the two deceased, said he awoke on Sunday morning to find the house well on fir®. He got out of a window and shouted t® his brother, afterwards going to his sis* ter's window and warning her. She replied that she would be out in a minutej but the house collapsed that moment, His brother had a habit of reading in bed with a candle, which was usually placed on a small table beside the bed. Witness had no idea how the fire occurred.. Owen Allen Turner, who discovered the fire, when the house was a mass of flames, said that judging from the direction in which the fre was travelling, ij originated in Francis O'Brien's room. Constable Forsyth said Francis O'Brien's body was found lying on top of the bedclothes and appeared to have been fully clothed. His sister evidently got out of her bed and made an attempt to get out of tho window, as the body was lying adjacent to the window. The jury returned a verdict that deceased were accidentally burned to death in their house, there being no evidence to show the origin o£ the fire.