FIRE IN MAYOR’S HOME

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 726, 27 July 1929, Page 8

FIRE IN MAYOR’S HOME

DAMAGE IN OUTBREAK AT CHRISTCHURCH WORK OF INCENDIARIST Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. Aa attempt was made this evening to burn down the residence of the Mayor of Christchurch, the Rev. J. K. Archer. Damage to the extent of £2OO or £3OO was done. Mr. Archer was attending a dinner being held in connection with the Canterbury Rugby Union jubilee celebrations when he received a telephone message that his house was on fire. He dashed home and found the brigade already busy with a serious lire. Good work was done in saving the house from destruction. There was ample evidence that the fire was the work of an incendiarist. Every room had been ransacked and fires had been started in four rooms In Mr. Archer’s study and library al! the drawers had been pulled open and the contents were on the floor. A pile of papers had been put down besiue the desk and set on fire, but fortunately little damage was done there. Mr. Archer’s library is a valuable one. In other rooms all likely places had been searched for valuables. A fire started in the dining room did much damage, the room being gutted. In the kitchen a pile of furniture and pictures had been thrown together and the pile ignited. A fire had also been started in one bedroom. Every window in the house had been thrown open, probably to allow the breeze to fan the flames.