DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20618, 17 July 1930, Page 10

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

PREMISES AT KAMO«

LARGE SHOP AND HOUSE.

NO WATER SUPPLY IN TOWNSHIQ

[by TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.J WHANGAREI, Wednesday.

Fire resulting in damage, to the extent of £2OOO occurred at Kamo, at 7.45 this evening when a large combined shop and dwelling and an adjoining six-roomed house wero gutted. The combined shop and dwelling was owned, ly Messrs. Wilkinson, bakers, and the adjoining dwelling by Mr. J. Swan. The latter dwelling had only recently been occupied by Mr. and Mrs Johnson, of Hikurangi, and the residential portion of the larger building was occupied by Mrs. I. Moor©.

The fire was first noticed by two passersby who saw smoke coming out of Messrs. Wilkinson's premises, the occupants of which wero all away at a; wedding at Whangarei. There was no one in the bakehouse at the roar at the time. The men broke in and found 1 hafe the fire had such a good hold that littla could be done.

Unfortunately, there is no water supply in Kamo township, so that when ai crowd collected all that could be dona was to save part of the contents of tha storeroom. By demolishing part of ;ha back of the house, the large bakehouse) at the back was saved. ;

In the meantime, the other house, onlyj a few feet away had caught alight. How* ever, most of the valuable furniture had been removed. A bucket brigade wag able to save the next house. There was a strong breeze blowing at the time. If it had been in the opposite direction ib would have swept a considerable block of buildings. As it was a vacant section prevented the fire from spreading further* The Are was believed to have originated in the living room of Mrs. Moore's pre* mises. Both buildings were insured. Thej contents of both shop and dwelling com« bin&d were insured, but Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had no insurance on then; furniture.

This is the third fira which has cc-t curred on this spot in recent years. or| a previous occasion the bakehouse was burned and the shop was saved. On another occasion the stables and tw<j motor-lorries were burned.