NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12770, 16 April 1910, Page 2

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

OUTBREAK- AT AN HOTEL. The Post Omee Hotel at Motue'ka, which has only .recently been taken, over by Mr George Gibbs, formerly of Takaka, narrowly escaped destruction by fire early yesterday morning. Two' of the permanent boarders, Messrs Gray and Smith, wore awakened •by the'. pungent odour of smoke, and left their room to make investigation. They heard a noise in the adjoining room, the door of which was opened by the occupant. Mr W. Robey, of the Hassan Vaudeville Company, and through the opening came, a rush of dense/smoke. Mr RobHy,. .Mho had evidently just awakened,' was in a dazed condition, but Messrs Gray and Smith, taking in -'the; 'situation at a glance,' at onoo took steps to suppress the outbreak with. water from the jugs in their room. It was then found that the bedclothes, kapoc mattress, and cover of the washstand had been burnt, and that damage to the extent of about £5 had been done. The cause of -the fire is not quite clear. Mr lloboy had been suffering from toothache all night, and had kept the candle burning on the washstand, which was close to the bed. He had also,, it is believed, been . smoking cigarettes to ease the pain. Whether he fell asleep and let a lighted cigarette drop on to the. bed, or whether the pillow case came, in contact with the candle is not known. However, the presence of mjnd of the gentlemen named averted what might have proved a catastrophe, for there were over thirty boarders in the house, and had the fire once got hold, the whole building would have gone, as there was a strong wind blowing at the time. Moreover, as MotueSa has not yet got a fire prevention plant capable of dealing with a large fire, other buildings in the vicinity might have gone. .So quietly, was the outbreak suppressed that few of the boarders were aware of the occurrence until breakfast time.