FIRES IN AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3117, 10 December 1913, Page 77

FIRES IN AUCKLAND.

INCENDIARISM SUSPECTED. QTiiou Oi;n Own Coehespondent.l AUCKLAND, December 3. Another outbreak of fire in a large drapery establishment —tlie third in five days—occurred in the early hours of this morning in the premises of Messrs Smith and C'anghey. The fire broke out on the ground floor of the firm’s Queen street establishment, and was automatically extinguished by the sprinkler system installed throughout the building. The goods damaged bv water are valued at £6OO. The first of the fires took place on Saturday night in the premises of Messrs Milne and Choyce, Queen street, and the second on Tuesday night in those of Messrs John Court and Company, at the corner of Queen and Victoria streets. A suspicious similarity in the circumstances indicates that they were all due to incendiarism. One coincidence is that in each case the fire started some hours after the premises had been closed. Strangely enough, also, the situation of the fire in each of the three shops concerned was practically identical—on the ground floor, and on the lefthand side not far from the entrance. In none of the three instances was,there any sign that the establishments had been broken into, and not a trace was found of any liquid sub-stances or material which could have caused the outbreaks. A theory lias been advanced that some person placed a slow combustion chemical preparation in the three shops. It is, of course, well known that certain liquid mixtures, if applied to paper, cloth, or similar material, will, when dry, burst into flame. The police are investigating the three fires, and steps have h-:- r -n taken by the proprietors of the establishments concerned to prevent similar occurrences in future. Night watchmen have been engaged, and a close watch is being kept with a view to the possible detection of the supposed incendiarv.