FIRES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20704, 30 April 1929, Page 12

FIRES.

OUTBREAK IN BOARDING HOUSE. ALARM GIVEN BY BABY. OCCUPANTS’ HURRIED ESCAPE (Peb United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 29. Awakened by the crying of a nine-•weeks-old baby, 12 persons experienced a t remarkable escape from a blazing boarding house in Wellesley street west at 4 o’clock yesterday morning. The house, a two-storeyed building of seven rooms, was occupied by Mr ami Mrs W. Agnew and their three young children, Mr and Mrs J. P. Walsh and their baby, and four men boarders. All of them slept upstairs except Mr Agnew. Mr Walsh was awakened by the child screaming, and found tne upstairs passageways full of smoke, and the roar of the ■ flames could be heard distinctly. Although almost overcome by smoke, Mr Walsh roused his wife and gjave the alarm to the others, who were all sleeping soundly. The lower part of the house was now burning fiercelv, the flames undermining the stairways’'. Mrs Agnew struggled downstairs with her children, and, helped by her husband, reached safety without injury. ~ r^wo °f the men boarders climbed through an upstairs window to am alleyway separating the burning house from |“ e , nex t building. One man jumped 18 feet to the ground, and the other jumped across the alleyway to a roof opposite, thence reaching the ground safely. The two other men boarders climbed through a bedroom window to the roof of the front veranda and jumped on to the grass 15 feet below. Mr Agnew was unable to find the men who jumped to the next door roof, and attempted to re-enter the house to search for them, but was driven back hi* the flames. When the brigade arrived all the were gathered in the roadway in their night attire. Nothing wae saved but Mrs Agnew’s purse and the child’s perambulator. All were given shelter by neighbours. As there was no hope of saving the house the brigade prevented damage to the next house, the woodwork of which was charred. The contents of the boarding house were insured for £2OO. OLD LANDMARK REMOVED. SHOP AND SIX-ROOMED DWELLING. GOOD WORK BY BUCKET BRIGADE. (Specui to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 29.' Brake’s store, a landmark for half a century at the-' Church corner, Upper Riccarton, was destroyed by fire in the early hours of this morning. The occupants had a narrow escape from the flames. The building was erected nearly GO years ago by Mr R. Brake, one of the pioneer traders of Canterbury who for many years, conducted a large store at Arthur s Bass and established stores in various parts of Canterbury. The shop and six-roomed dwelling were owned DYMrs Saul, a daughter of Mr Brake and had been leased for 13 years to Mr S. Woods who, with his wife, two chiln ■nr’ years and one year, and Mrs Woods, sen., occupied the dwelling, iiie post office, a new roughcast builcßng which stands next door, was considerably damaged on the side next the fire and was saved from destruction only by the efforts of a bucket brigade of real-dents,-Including several women. As the place is outside the fire. protection area iu) assistance could be given by the firebrigade. Two blistered -petrol pumps, the Iron roof- of a veranda canted on its side, a bubbling mass which was one? sacks of sugar, and a wreckage of roofing iron are practically all that remain of the two-storeyed building, furniture and the stock of the store.- Nothing was saved. One chimney is standing but the other has collapsed. The fire took four hours to burn itself down to the state where nearby buildings were out of danger, and at 11 o’clock today a mass of groceries under the stacks of roofing iron were still blazing fiercely. A stock of tinned fish caused some danger during the fire as the large tins exploded violently and were sometimes hurled across the road. .Under the store were two petrol tanks—a Plume and a voco, each containing about 40 gallons—but owing to their special cohstruction tnese proved immune from danger, i fir6 W °£ 6 A alee occupants of the house about 2.25 a.m. Mr Woods had barely time to rescue the two children. He attempted to return into the nouse but was almost overcome with f ° di ® cult y in regaining safety. It is believed that the fire started m the kitchen directly behind the store. It travelled swiftly through the dwelS by t , he stro >lg southerly wind, and then worked back through the ®^ re - tll f rear ar e a number cf old sheds and a long row of stables, towards winch the wind carried the flames. Had these been allowed to catch lire they would have imperilled residences which run back from Church street, twelve occupants of these rear houses, including three women, formed a bucket bngade and-worked for nearly two hours to keep tlie fire from spreading. The nearby water supplies soon ran out and then it was necessary to carry from tanks 100 yards away. Later rain came down heavily enabling the fighters to get a supply by damming the gutters. CHEESE FACTORY DESTROYED. HEAVY LOSS SUFFERED. (Fjsr United Press Association i . HAMILTON, April 29. A loss of about £SOOO was suffered by fire which destroyed the Horsham' Downs Cheese Factory, between Hamiiton and Ngaruawaliia. The fire originated in the boiler room while the staff was engaged in cheesemaking, and the Hamilton fire engine could only save r 1 ® The insurances on the buildmg and stock in the Commercial Union office, totalled £4BOO. The factory was the only one owned by the Horsham Downs Co-operative Dairy Company. LARGE RESIDENCE BURNED. OCCUPANTS ESCAPE IN NIGHT ATTIRE. (Per United Press Association j ac . CREYHOUTH, April 29. A lire at Greymouth destroyed a tenroomed residence, " J’ernhill,” in Alexander stieet, nothing being saved. The occupants escaped in their night attire Xhe house was occupied by Mr J. Ross and family, and was insured for £BOO in the State office. There was no insur- °\ thc contents. The house was. to have been oftered by auction to-day. OUTBREAK AT WHITCOMBE AND TOMBS. j At 5.50 last night a fire was; discovered in the premises of Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited, 72 Princes street The City . Fire Brigade was promptly on the scene, and after two lines "of hose had been brought into operation, a good save was effected. The fire occurred in the printing works in the rear portion of the building, the cause of the outbreak