BETWEEN TWO FIRES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17130, 4 September 1926, Page 5

BETWEEN TWO FIRES

UNENVIABLE EXPERIENCE MOTORIST TRAPPED NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH «K 'Special to the Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. Trapped between two tires on l>ake Talioe-Carson highway, Mr. Harold Gregson, formerly ot Auckland, director of the Community Arts Association Chorus, and organist of the, Presbyterian Church at Santa. Barbara, California, and his wife and mother-in-law, Mrs. J. T. May, of New Zealand, recently had a narrow escape from death. Mrs. Gregson suffered burns on her hands and arms and a big touring car, in which the party were driving, showed evidences of going through the blaze. Leaving (ilenbrook, where they had been enjoying an outing for two weeks, the party started to ascend King's canyon, leading to Carson, unaware, of the forest lire which had broken out that morning. Near the summit they passed near the blaze, which swept up the hill, but thought nothing of it until several miles farther on they encountered a back fire that had got away from the five-fighters and was sending a blaze high in the air directly across the highway. FLAMES 100 FT. HIGH. Unable to go forward, Mr. Gregson turned his car back uphill, but in the meantime the wind had changed and the tire was rearing down the hill, sending the flames upwards of 100 ft in the air. Barred by this wall of flames, Mr Gregson turned his car down the hill again to the back fire, which was .still burning fiercely. A firefighter, also trapped between the fires, jumped on to the running-board, shouting to Mr. Gregson that the only way out was to make a dash through the lower fire at great speed.

The. back fire was burning over an area of about 5C yards wide, but Mr. Gregson negotiated it in safety, although he stated that he expected every minute that his gasolene tank would explode. Mrs. Gregson suffered from shock, and her mother, who is 73 years of age, was somewhat fearful of driving back to Sacramento over the Truckee highway, along which a fire had been burning for live days.