LOSSES BY FIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22231, 4 October 1935, Page 12

LOSSES BY FIRE

SAWMILLS ASD HOMES OTAGO SETTLERS' PLIGHT MILES OF BUSH ABLAZE WTND CHANGE SAVES DISASTER [BY mwum— <yw7TDtnm>Ts. Thurwfo The fire which swept throagh the Catltns district yesterday threatened ! disaster along a 30-mile front. The j flame* raced through dead bush and dry j undergrowth at Tahakopa and the j | danger was m pressing that a train j | with a full head of steam stood in the j j railway yard read? to evacuate the j i inhabitants. In the Puketrro Valley some of the j j women and children were carried to 1 | safety along a flames-fringed road and : j in a number of districts a major dia- | I aster was avoided only by the fail of I j the gate and a sharp shower of rain, j | Three mifis were*' completely destroyed.; f together with something under a dozen I | homes and some stock were lost. Everywhere along the path of the fire 'stories were told of miraculous escapes.; I which the settlers and their homesteads j i experienced. Not one case of serious j i injury was reported among the hun- j j dreds who battled with the James. Jo- { ! day, although the bosh-clad hills were j still wreathed in smoke from smoulder- j j ing Jogs, the fire had definitely ceased 1 i to he a menace unless a further gale I j should whip the embers to life. Mill and Six Homes L 035 I The worst of the damage was done ; ! at Tahakopa where Messrs. Hogg arid !. I Company's mill, together with six houses belonging to the company and | occupied by its employees, was com- | pietely destroyed. The loss of pro- | perty which the company suffered is j estimated at about £2OOO and part of this amount is covered by insurance, j Of the families whose homes at the I ! mill were destroyed, only one is be- | lieved to have had the furniture and i effects insured. In one ca.se practically ; all the furniture was removed before j the house caught fire. In other cases some managed to save a little. Others [ lost everything. At Jlaclennan White's mill was also I burned out. It had not been working | for some time but a full plant was f housed at the mil!. The other mill | which was destroyed had been abandoned for gome years. fn the Puketiro Valley the echoo!, which was not used for teaching as the pupils had been taken elsewhere, was burned to the ground. The house, which was also abandoned, was also caught by the flames and at Kahuika one hori.se was known to have been burned. In the district round about Owaka it was reported that several homesteads were destroyed, but it was not possible to obtain particulars of the full extent of the damage. Sufferings of Stock Only meagre details are yet available of stock losses. One fanner lost 20 ewes and a few were reported to have lost cattle and pigs, while several others did not know the real extent of their loss. Many lambs which survived the flames were seriously affected by smoke and some sheep were so badly scorched that they will have to be destroyed. For several days fires had been burning over a big area in the Catlins district but no danger was anticipated, until about mid-day yesterday when a north-westerly gale swept over the area. Two or three hours later over an area 30 miles in length, from Glenomaru to Tahakopa, and extending from the coast for many miles inland, bush fires were raging. Carried by the high wind, showers of sparks were scattered over the dead bush, dry logs and tangled undergrowth. At Owaka wind reached such a force that a pane was blown out of the window at the post office. Wind Tricks Save Homesteads Strarige tricks of the wind saved many homesteads which appeared to be iri the path of the flames, and, while in no case did the standing bush really catch fire, ir; scores of places the flames found a track through the dry undergrowth. The fire secured its strongest hold in the I'uketiro Valley. Here along one side of the narrow valley dead trees felled to make room for the plough | burned fiercely. Ho great was the danger considered to be that a number of women and children were taken out by car along the burning roads. It is considered by the settlers that had tho flames secured a hold among the isolated clearings none would have escaped alive as their exit from the valley was blocked by walls of fire which rose on either hand. Grave Danger Averted Ho great was the danger to the whole settlement of Tahakopa that steam was got Up in an engine and a train rnado ready to take the whole of the inhabitants to safety should tho fires break through the cordon of fighters. Here, as in all other eases, however, tho grayest danger was averted when about 2 o clock this morning tho wind commenced to fall, and a sharp shower of rain fell. Further falls effectively Checked-the advance of tho flames. In half a dozen other districts experiences were much tho same. Practically the whole population in Catlins spent a sleepless night. Men and women alike turned out to battle with tho fires. Urgent calls for assistance were received from all quarters in Owaka, and large numbers of men were rushed by motor-car to assist tho settlers in their fight, A number of fire-fighters suffered severely as a result of the smoke affecting their eyesight, and in some cases medical treatment had to bo obtained to-day. It is understood that it is tho intention of Messrs. Hogg and Company to rebuild tho mill at Tahakopa. About 211 men were employed there, and it is not thought they will bo long out of work.