FRESH OUTBREAK

Southland Times, Issue 22491, 28 January 1935, Page 8

FRESH OUTBREAK

FIRE IN PLANTATION anxiety for safety OF HOUSES OUT OF CONTROL (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, January 27. A strong nor-west wind on Saturday caused the fire in the Bottle Lake Plantation, seaward from Christchurch, (o break out again. There was a call far men to fight the fire at 10 o’clock and by 11 o’clock almost every available man in the district was out fighting the flames. A small bach was burned, but the gravest anxiety was felt for the safety of several houses which appeared to be in the path of the rapidly approaching fire. From many houses furniture and belongings were loaded on to waiting trucks. Trenches were dug to stop the flames, which burned trees, grass and fences. At times the fire was quite out of control, burning with such verocity and spreading so rapidly that the beaters could do nothing with it The trees surrounding the New Brighton racecourse caught fire and the stands and buildings were in danger, but the fire was arrested before it reached the buildings. Early on Saturday evening upwards of 50 acres of trees, gorse and manuka scrub at Brooklands, not far from the Bottle Lake fire, were burned. More than 100 men fought the fire, but the flames ran to the tops of the pine trees in a plantation belonging to the Selwyn Plantation Board and got completely out of control. Only a change of wind kept the fire from other plantations and drove it into the middle of the sandhills, where it was beaten outAbout 50 men, divided into parties, fought the fire all night and by strenuous effort had reduced it to a smoulder by daylight to-day. The weather is calm and cool ana there was no serious recrudescence of the fires this evening. A shower is falling with the promise of more ram. This will allay anxiety.