THRILLING MOMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12009, 11 December 1924, Page 5

THRILLING MOMENTS

Bill FIRE AT AUCKLAND TWELVE PERSONS NARROWLY Escape suffocation. THREE HOUSES DESTROYED. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, December 10. Twenty people sleeping in a boarding- house at No. 4, Waitemata street, Ponsonby. narrowly escaped suffocation whet, a fire broke out in the premises somewhere about I o’clock this morning. The l fire completely destroyed the house, and uraetically gutted the housts on either side. There were many thrilling moments, Seven boarders having to escape fro mthe top story by means of a fire escape which Was in flames before the last man not down. The house where the fire storied' was a three-storied wooden building with numerous little windows and turrets. The orourietbr of the establishment Was Mr Peddic, who with his wife and several occupants, slept- an the greund floor. The rest of the boarders occupied rooms on the second and third floors, there being twenty apartments, altogether. ‘’STAGGERED TG THE DOOR.”

Aout 1.15 a.m. Edward McGuiness, who occupied a room >dj scent to the kitchen, was awakened by stifling fumes and smoke in his bedroom. Staggering to the door he discovered, a mass of flames in the kitchen, and the next moment 1m was rushing from room to room shouting “fire,” and shaking the sleeping occupants into consciousness. Bat so firm a hold had toe flames’ 1 that tliay licked out of tire kitchen then up the stairs before the whole household had been awakened. Those on the ground floors quickly snatched overcoats or wraps, and then had to run downstairs, for .their lives. By the time the people on the top floor were roused there was but one way of escape for them, and that was by a ladder down the wide of the house. There were four young women and three young men in the rooms there. The time Was so short that one man had . only time to .throw a pair of trousers out -of. a window. The women were quickly assisted' to the firO escape, but the shock was so severe that one of them fainted, and had to he carried down tlie ladder. ESCAPE LADDER ON FIRE. So quickly dad - the fire spread throughout mo house that before the last man bad climbed doWn to safety the ladder waft beginning to birth, but everybody had been got out of the' building, which it was easy to see wee doomed! A strong broeae i from the ©e» fanned the flames, which roared furiously as- they consumed the-.dry timber, furniture, .bedding and all personal teionatags of rnen,_ women and children, Who Were standing shivering and fearful in the street. Once everyone was clear of tlie house Johnston, one of the bo aiders, raced up to the Ponsonby Post Office Whet# he rang the fire alarm. However, a lady boarder, Miss Brown, recollected that there, was actually a fire alarm in the street and She hurried to it, getting her call in ten seconds ahead of Johnston. , MASS OF FLAMES IN FEW .MINUTES. '■ The brigade was summoned exactly, twelve minutes after MoGuinees hod discovered the outbreak. Even in, tqe-sho-rt space of twelve minutes, however, the fire had • made, tremendous progress, and the house on each side of tho boardinghouse was well alight. Seme of the men rushed to neighbours and gave the alarm. 111 No. 6, Waiternwta street, lived Albert Crow, his Wife, his mother-in-law, and niece. Their bedrooms faced the fire and thewindows were cracking and the 1 wood-: work was burning when they jumped out of bed. There Was but little time to put on a few clothes before tlie house Was well alight. - However, several articles of furniture were carried put of ; the diiiing-rooto before it was impossible to stay near the house. A motor garage went up in smoke in a few minutes, but by good luck the car was not' there. The other house which waa burning was a now bungalow in the last wtoges of completion. Rolls of wall paper - Were burning in one of the rooms and the place would soon have been: ready for occupation. Fire destroyed practically the whole house, although a portion of the furniture from the boardinghoilse was not completely burned and the reof held. NEIGHBOURS ROUSED. The neighbour Were roused by neighbouring hoarders thundering at their doors,. The occupants of ,! MorivalcN’.’ a good-sized bouse exactly opposite, the partially built bungalow, ivere alarmed bv women’s screams and the heating of fists on - their front door. Mr and MrsL. Blythe and Mrs Neleon, who odaupsid the- house, hurried to the door and n opening it they found a woifaan lying' on tho verandah, in a dead faint. They carried her indoors And placed bar in safety, THE INSURANCES, The boardinghouse was owned by Mr C 1 H. Guy, and was insured for £2600 6( which £I3OO was held in the Loudon and Lancashire Office, and £I2OO in the state Office, The furniture was owned by the occupier, Mrs Peddy, and was insured lor £660 in the New Zealand Office. The, house on the east side of the boardinghouse, which was burned, was insured with its contents for £IO6O in the Bun Office, several hundreds below the actual loss, and the third hoUse destroyed was owned by A. P. Young, and was ooveret* for £B6O in the : Standard Office. This dwelling was not completed.