FIRES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6178, 9 April 1907, Page 4

FIRES

A BLAZE IN AUCKLAND. PEESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Aprils. A flic broke out in tho Royal Insurance Buildings, Queen street, at one o’clock this morning. The damage by tho fire was comparatively slight, but that by water was very heavy. When the brigade arrived flames wore bursting out of the window in the top floor facing Swanson street, and threatened to catch tho Nntional Alutual Office on the corner of Swanson street. Smoke was belching from the front windows and tho roof. By a quarter past one the firemen had the outbreak under. Firemen Dudson and Dalton wore overcome by "smoke. Tho latter was rescued by Superintendent Woolley, and partly carried down to the street, Dudson was in a worse plight, and was carried out by several firemen. It was thought thiit Dudson would succumb, but after an anxious time Dr King brought tho man_ round. The fire originated in tho offices of Bradbury, Greatores and Co., on the top floor,-but tho cause is a mystery. No one is known to have been in the office since Saturday. The property destroyed appeared to be account books, com. mercial papers, and; office fittings.- ' The offices of Mr Jonas (accountant) wore also badly burned, and tho offices of Messrs McLean' and Son (contractors), Nicholson and Griffin (solicitors), and-E. Bartley (architect) were flooded with water, which also found its way into the offices of the Royal Insurance Company, and Air E. Anderson (stockbroker), on tho ground floor. Tho building owned by the Royal In. suranoo Company was insured im tho Standard office for £looo,' and North British for £SOO. The damage is estimated at £4OO. Bradbury, Grcatorcx and Co. were insured for £9O in the Royal office, tho damage being estimated at £200; E. Bartley, £l5O in tho Royal office, being fully covered; C, Jonas, uninsured, damage £100; Nicholson -and Griffin, £4OO in the National, damage £100: Brookfield, uninsured, damage £SO; Scholium, McLean, and Darby and the Alanchester Agency, were uninsured, hut their losses are trifling. / DUNEDIN, April 8. An untenanted five-roomed house in St. Kilda, owned by John Bond, was gutted by fire. Tho property was insured in the Australian Alliance for £250, A fire which caused damage to tho value of about £4OO broke out at Young’s Family Hotel, Lower Hutt, about 8.20 p.m. on Saturday. At that hour a boarder named William Hunt was about to retire, but when he went upstairs he found the place filled with smoke. He at once ran to the town firebell. The brigade turned out promptly, and in about a quarter of an hour extinguished tho flames, but not before the upstairs rooms and the billiard-room were considerably damaged by fire and water. Tho origin of the fire is as yet unknown. The building was insured for £IOOO and the furniture and stock for £9OO, both in the Phoenix office. An incipient fire occurred yesterday morning in the washhouse attached to a dwelling occupied by Air Charles Searlo in Ghuznee street. No serious damage was done.