FATAL FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 761, 1 October 1886, Page 11

FATAL FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, September 24.

Shortly after 11 last night a fire broke out in a four-roomed cottage in Wynyard-street, which was burned to the ground, and one of the inmates, a son of Mr C. E. Madden, solicitor, was burned to death Charles Wright was walking along Wynyard-street, on the road home, when be noticed a glare in the front window of Mr Madden’s house. Feeling apprehensive that something was wrong, he raa to the door, and knocked. Mrs Madden came to the door, partly dressed, and opened it and then closed it in his face in her excitement. He saw flames inside, and at once kicked in the door. He carried out two children five or six years old, who were in their night-dresses, and took them to Mr Campbell’s ntxt door. On coming back he saw Mrs Madden coming: rouud the back of tbe house with a child in her arms. She was in a perfect frenzy, fancying the three other children were in the house. On learning that one was still missing, Bhe attempted to go back into the flames with the child in her arms, but Mr Wright prevented her. He was unable to penetrate to the room where the missing child had been sleeping, as the whole house was then in flames. Mrs Madden was in a state of hysteria, and it was found necessary to remove her to the Hospital in a cab As eoou as possible the firemen penetrated inti the room indicated as the one in which the missing boy slept, and found the body of William Samuel, the third son, aged five years._ The body presented a terrible spectacle, but it was clear that the child could have suffered little, having died in his sleep from suffocation. The oldest boy, aged eight years, states that the fire arose from an explosion of a kerosene lamp in the r.bedroom, which set fire to the bedclothes. The boy said that Mrs Carey had been accustomed to sleep nightly there, and that she went out between 8 and 9 o’clock to see her married daughter, aad returned to the house. His impression was that she had gone to bed. The firemen made a further search, but could discover no other body. The building belonged to Mr Harry Bennett, and was insured for £l2O in the Colonial office. Thore was no insurance on the furniture. Mr Madden was staying at his mother’s house, and knew nothing of the occurrence till all was over. The inquest on the body of the child is to be held this afternoon. Later.

At the inquest on the body of the boy Madden, burned to death in last night’s fire, a verdict of accidental death through the upsetting of a kerosene lamp was returned. A rider, praising the conduct of Charles Wright, who saved two children from burning, was added.