GORSE FIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27267, 19 December 1949, Page 4

GORSE FIRE

THREAT TO HOUSES OUTBREAK AT NORMANBY A huge pall of smoke rising high into the air and giving the impression of a cloud lying low along the hill, attracted the attention of many people to an area near Montague street, North-East Valley, yesterday afternoon. A large area of gorse above a plantation of trees had caught alight and was burning fiercely. The outbreak occurred about 4 p.m. ’ The fire offered a threat to two houses, and the Fire Brigade was summoned at 4.6 p.m. All danger to the houses was quickly eliminated by damping on the burning gorse near the boundaries of the properties. Sparks set the gorse alight in several places, but the slight wind blowing kept the fires burning up the hill away from the plantation. Flames were leaping high into the air when the brigade arrived, but they quickly subdued the main blaze after running out about 500 feet of hose from a street hydrant. The gorse growing near the houses was set ablaze later by members of the brigade to clear it off. and they damped the whole area before leaving. Although there was a fire break at the foot of the hill and another on the inside of the hedge around the plantation, a change of wind could have caused some damage to the trees by blowing sparks across. The houses situated near the outbreak were occupied by R. Barr and R. J. Moore. A large crowd of people arrived during the fire, which at first gave the impression of being a serious outbreak. There was a similar fire in the area about 18 months ago. One of the nearby residents was at the Gardens corner when she saw the smoke, and recognised that it was near her home. “My first thought was for my hens," she said. “ I rushed home as quickly as I could for I hate to think of anything getting burned alive."