FIRE AT PORT AHURIRI.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14235, 1 March 1917, Page 5

FIRE AT PORT AHURIRI.

/>' UNION HOTEL DAMAGED. The Union Hotel, Port Ahuriri, had a narrow escape from being completely • burnt to the ground on Monday, evenire;. Shortly after 11 p.m. a man named Martin noticed smoke issuing from the building, and gave the- alarm. Mr. C. T. Gavan, licensee o" the hotel, , who has >ccn v m the hotel only r.i ' couple of months, locked <up the premises shortly after 10 o'clock, a.nd was ; in t\\c north•ern part of the building, upstairs, a few minutes before he was aroused by a crash m the lowei>part of the hotel, and was not aware -of any danger*. AliN (lavan was just 'getting into- bed. when lie 'was alarmed by tfie crash, ' which seemed to comevfrani downstaCrs, and on going out on to tlte landing at ;,tll3 head of the stairs was assailed by dense clouds of: smoke coming from down below. He --hurried.:, downstairs - and .; endeavored- to get to the telephone, but could not'db so.< By this time the fojr boarders <■ ire the ; .northern • end -of. thp house were awakened by the, smoke and heat making 1 things very .-uncomfortable for them. .One' hoarder who onlyar* rived m the house that evening, awakened to find himself on the roof of the building, and do^s not know how lie got there- A policcnuhn who was early on the scene directed him to the best means of escape from his perilous predicament. The other ; boarders kne*& thiir way about the place perfectly, and wfcre able to get down the stairs, though greatly hindered by smoke and heat. The fire appears to have -originated m thte private bar, which 'was- closed at about 7 p.m., and no om? is known- to lufve been m there afier about 6.30 p.m. The flames lickefl up the -walls outside and quickly got hold of- ; the upper portion of the building, which was burning fiercely when- the brigade arrived, but a good pressure of ■< water was available, and residents of the hill who saw the flarhes say ■' that the flames were quenched wit .h» remarkable rapidity. The fire, when suppressed, had jrAready a '-good hold of the bans and front pprt'ion of the building, but was put' out before much serious damage was ■ dorfc liV that part of the hotel. In the up.^taii'K part of the3 hotel directly underneath where the fire commenced; there were five» persons sleeping. All these lost the greater part of their effects, and had only time to put on some sennty clothing. ■' •••.■;"■• Mrs. Oavan, wife of the licen3Pe > when the alarm was raised, $va« met by a dense cloud " : <r»f smoke «t her r bedroom door. Her- husband warned her to get out a« soon a» fcki» could, and "-sha Was unable to reach stnircase, 6ht? : turned baqk ftrtK made aii'per4lbUß 'descent to the Mi*et -bv .means'. of 'the fii^e-escapes, whicj^v had been kept- 4n good working order!' Nenr the priva% banr, a barman and «brter slept. ■ 'Thfese two men itvei^e awakWd by .Ihe wrnoke and smashed and got through >a> ■ window into tlie backyard, but the' direction of the flames was upward*,' und their room was 1 not 'so much damaged as some of the rooms on the •. upper nooi\ 'The northern portion of the house, both upstairs and down, -"was completely burnt out with the eontent3. -What.rerhains habitable is only» the kitchen and dining' room portion of: the place, which a«e semi-detached, a.nd the public bars. The origin of the fn'e cannot be accounted for. The 'licensee locked up the private bar early m tho evening, and within a quarter* of an hour of the fire beint; discovered , and • did 1 not see anything to arouse his suspicions.