FIRES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3803, 1 February 1927, Page 23

FIRES.

A RESIDENCE DESTROYED. OTAKI, January 25. A residence of eight rooms, owned by Charles Mahirna, was destroyed by fire at midnight. No one was at home at the time, and the origin of the outbreak is a mystery. The insurances are unknown. OUTBREAKS AT INVERCARGILL. INVERCARGILL, January 26. Two disastrous outbreaks of fire occurred in the district in the early morning of to-day. The first was when the Invercargill Fire Brigade received a call at 1.56 a.m to a six-roomed residence at Elies road, occupied by Mr Henry Adams and owned by Mr Thomas Hastings, Lind's Bridge. The fire had secured a strong hold when the brigade arrived, and the buildings and contents were totally destroyed. Owing to the lateness of the call the brigade was unable to do much, with the result that nothing was saved Mr Adams, who was the only occupant at the time, just managed to get clear of the burning house in time. The origin of the fire is unknown. The contents of the house were covered in the London and Lancashire office by a policy of £3OO. The amount on the house is not yet available. The second outbreak occurred at about 1.50, a five-roomed cottage in Blackwater street. Bluff, occupied by Mrs Hugh Miller and family being totally destroyed. The siren sounded at about 1.25 a.m., but. the building at that time was past saving, and when the brigade arrived on the scene there was nothing to be done, as there were no other houses close enough to be in danger. Owing to the scene -cf the fire being a long way from the alarm posts a considerable time elapsed before the siren was sounded. BLAZE AT BLENHEIM. BLENHEIM, January 30. At an early hour this morning a fire broke out in the mercery shop of Mr 11. G. MTntosh, in the centre of a large block of wooden buildings, the premises extending from the Express office in High street to the National Bank in Market square. The brigade was promptly on the scene and it effected a wonderful save. The (Ire spread to Mosley’s pork butchery next door to M'lntosh’s place, and more or less gutted it. The solicitor's office of Mr U. T. Smith was damaged by water and smoke. The insurances are not available. DWELLING DESTROYED. _ MASTERTON, January 29. A six-roomed house, owned and occupied by. Mr G. W. Morice. .. a master at tile Wairarapa High School, was totally destroyed by fire this morning. It is believed that the fire was started by flames from a rubbish fire in an adjoining section. The fire brigade was attending a grass fire at the opposite end of the borough at the time of the outbreak, and consequently it was faced with a hopeless task when it arrived. The house-and contents were both insured, but the amounts are unknown. HOUSE BADLY DAMAGED. The Fire Brigade was summoned at 4.50 on Sunday afternoon to Wright street, Kaikorai, where a four-roomed, wooden house, owned and occupied by a man named Dalwood, . had caught fire. The back portion of the house and the contents .were badly damaged. The house was insured in the National office for £450, and the contents were covered to the extent of £175 in the State office.