FOUR MILE FRONT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16946, 30 January 1926, Page 8

FOUR MILE FRONT.

CRASS FIRES IN OH LRTSEY DISTRICT. MUCIT DAMAGE CAUSED. (Per Press Association.) ASHBURTON, last night. For tin* last week Ashburton County has hail visitations of a series of grass tiros attributed to sparks from .railway ongi 110 s. Emil to-day Hie damage was eonlined lo plantation.*? and hedges alongside the lines, principally llie main lines. To-day, however, a fire in Cliertsey district assumed serious proportions, causing damage to pastures, crops and buildings estimated at several thousand pounds. The most serious losers were 0. Flynn, a. stable and two paddocks of oats; «T, Cameron, stables and outbuildings; and E. Hanrahan’s three large stacks of oats. William Page, motor garage proprietor, of Ashburton, was severely burned in endeavoring to remove his motor ear, which caught tire and was destroyed while he was assisting to remove the furniture from Hawaiian's house, which was threatened by fin*. He was burned about the back of the head, shoulders and hips. In an effort to save himself he rolled into an adjacent water race. He is now in hospital in a most serious condition.

This afternoon the fire was blazing on the front of four miles, travelling at the rale of four or five irfiles an hour. Hundreds of men battled for hours against the flames, and worked desperately in the removal of furniture, stock and other goods to places of safety. Fortunately no homesteads were, burned, though several were threatened, as in some women and children were inside with no means of access. Providentially the wind was playing with the flames and, by a freak of chance, twisted the fire a way when all hope seemed over. lii Cameron's ease the verandah was burnt, but was pulled away by the lire fighters and the flames left the building itself untouched. Among the many assisting in the work were numbers of women and girls, who drove off stock and removed furniture outside the line of tire. The fire extended a distance of ten miles from Cliertsey when it was subdued. Much of the credit of this is due to Air. Alan Watson, who drove a tractor dragging a four-furrow plough over a line about seven miles long through fences and over water races, thus forming an effective belt against ’which the fire died down yesterday. The most serious fires prior to that at Ghertsev occurred in the Wcster.field district, where 12(5 acres of plantation were destroyed despite the efforts of a large number of men, who. in common with other localities, have been organised by the County Council. Damage estimated at £IOOO was caused.