ESCAPE FROM FIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22006, 12 January 1935, Page 12

ESCAPE FROM FIRE

FATHER AROUSES FAMIIA'

OUTBREAK AT HERNE BAY

HOUSE RAPIDLY DESTROYED

Disturbed in his sleep early yesterday morning by the sound of falling timber, Mr. 0. W. Hughes, of 18 Sarsfield Street, Heme Bay, awoke just in time to arouse his wife and family and hurry them frdTh their burning home. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes' youngest son, Keith, aged nine, who has been a cripple since the age*of two, had to be carried to safety. Within a few minutes the house, a six-roomed wooden structure, was enveloped in flames and was soon destroyed. The alarm was received by the fire brigade at 4.-12. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were sleeping in a front bedroom and in the next room were their three sons. Their two daughters occupied a bedroom across the hall. When Mr. Hughes was suddenly awakened he first thought it was his son Keith falling out of bed and immediately went toward his room. On reaching the door he found one wall on fire and flames bursting through behind the head of Keith's bed. His three sons were all asleep, but he hurriedly aroused them, calling at the same time to Mrs. Hughes and his two daughters that tho house was On fire. Picking up Keith, ho carried him to safety and assisted the other children from the burning building. An attempt was macls by MrS. Hughes to telephone the fire brigade, hut she was unable to do so on account of the flames, which by this time had reached the hall. In the meantime her eldest son had given the alarm from a box at the corner of Curran Street and Sarsfield Street.

The building burned fiercely and, although two machines arrived promptly from the Central and Western District stations, it was impossible to effect a save. Fortunately, only a light wind was blowing at the time and, with the exception of three windows which were cracked by the heat, the houses on either side were undamaged. Owing to the rapid spread of the fire Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and their family were unable to save anything beyond a few articles of clothing. A few months ago Mr. Hughes said he had had £9 stolen from the house, and since then he had made a practice of placing his money under the mattress of his bed. As a result £8 in notes placed there the previous night were destroyed. Neighbours saved an aviary containing nine canaries and one of the children rescued a cage in which there was a budgerigar. The house, which was owned by Mr. Hughes, and had only recently been renovated, w-as insured for £6OO and the contents for £2OO, both policies being held by the Yorkshire Insurance Company. CALL TO RAILWAY YARDS MINOR OUTBREAK OCCURS Fire agafn broke out in the railway yards yesterday. A call was received at 5.45 p.m. to an outbreak in a large pile of firewood near the engine sheds in King's Drive, and fire engines from the City and Parnell brigades were sent. The flames were extinguished by beating before serious damage was done. On Thursday slight damage to the locomotive sheds was caused by fire.

OUTBREAK IN WAREHOUSE CONSTABLE'S PROMPT ACTION [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] INVERCARGILL, Friday TJje prompt action of a constable averted a serious fire in Esk Street, Invercargill, early this morning. Observing smoke drifting over the block of buildings at the rear of the Majestic Theatre the constable gave tho alarm, the brigade arriving when the flames were beginning to break through tho roof of Messrs. Ross and Glendining's three-storeyed warehouse. Through dense clouds of smoke the seat of the fire was attacked and the flames quickly suppressed. The damage amounts to several hundred pounds.