MAJOR SCRUB FIRES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 4

MAJOR SCRUB FIRES

Several Buildings Threatened At Week-end

HOUSE RAZED AT BURNSIDE The seriousness of the prolonged spell of dry weather experienced in and around Dunedin during the past two or three months made itself felt at the week-end, when four major scrub and gorse fires threatened houses and other buildings. At Burnside a four-roomed house was burned to the ground and a plantation of young trees was destroyed when a fire became out of control, a house and the Fever Hospital near the Pelichet Bay rifle range were threatened by another fire, and effective action by the Dunedin Fire Brigade and local residents averted danger to several houses on Signal Hill, in the Opoho district last night. At Aramoana (The Spit) careless actions by picnickers yesterday started a fire in the scrub and lupins, but it was brought under control before any damage was caused to cribs in the area.

Burning phosphorus from a tracer bullet which ricochetted from the Pelichet Bay rifle range during Bren gun shooting by Sea Cadets on Saturday afternoon started a fire in the scrub and gorse-covered hills in the vicinity. The blaze soon got out of control and swept through the tinderlike gorse with amazing speed. A changing wind fanned the flames into an inferno within a few 'minutes and it was not long before a four-roomed house nearby was threatened. Spectacular Sight

The Dunedin Fire Brigade ran a land line from Dundas street for almost a mile to the scene of the blaze and this action, combined with a fresh change in the wind which blew the fire uphill, averted what could possibly have been a disaster to the house and the nearby Fever Hospital. Although the threat was averted from this area, the fire quickly mushroomed farther up the hill and swept around the Signal Hill area. The hill presented a spectacular scene late on Saturday night and early yesterday morning with flames leaping to u height of nearly 50 feet The blaze

continued to break out sporadically all over Signal Hill, and by late afternoon residents near Warden street, Opoho, were forced to realise that their homes were in danger. A land line was run out by the Dunedin Fire Brigade and water was poured on to buildings on the property of Mr J. Jack, a poultry farmer, m an endeavour to protect them from the fast-approaching fire. About 800 feet of hose was laid in the area near the SPCA property in readiness for an emergency, but it was not reqiured. At a late hour last night the flre was thdught to have nearly burnt itself out. but members of the Fire Brigade were standing by until it was felt that the area .was safe. Members of the emergency fire service station of the EPS during the war made their services available in the area. One resident commented on the courage and determination of a group of boys under the direction of Sydney "Fvff* a troop leader in an Opoho Scout section, who fought the blaze for two hours and a-half unknown to anyone. The boys’ efforts were successful in beating the fire out over an area of about 300 yards and when they staggered out from the hillside they were “as black as niggers and almost exhausted. House Destroyed

A four-roomed house on a hill near Burnside was totally destroyed by a fire which started among gorse and burned its way through a .J )lan i at . 1 Ijn 1 j n of young trees. Several other buildings- were threatened by the fire but effective action bv local residents kept the flames at a distance. The blaze started on Saturday afternoon and by about 6 o’clock it was threatening the wind blew up later in the night and embers from the gorse fire were thought to have been blown across to the house, which quickly caught alight and was soon a total loss. The trees in the plantation also burned quickly. ~ ~ The fire burned itself out after midnight, but smouldering patches were still to be seen yesterday. There were occasional alarms throughout yesterday but the area was considered to be safe late last night. Broadcast Appeal Made A broadcast appeal for crib owners and volunteers to rush down to the Spit last night to fight a fire which broke out in the scrub and lupins brought a prompt result. The Port Chalmers Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to the call, and many private people also travelled down to give assistance. The blaze was thought to have been started by careless picnickers and it was soon offering a threat to a number of cribs in the area. When the blaze was brought under control by voluntary fire-fighters, 15 men agreed to stay throughout the night to extinguish any small outbreaks that might start another major fire ' Traffic Disrupted Traffic was held up when a fire broke out amongst scrub and gorse on the north side of Mount Cargill on Saturday afternoon. Smoke obscured a large section of the road and cars were prevented from proceeding for some time. Traffic was diverted along the Port Chalmers road to Dunedin. The smoke was so thick that one woman in a motor car was overcome by it and had to be carried from the area.