FIRES.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14893, 16 October 1918, Page 3 (Supplement)

FIRES.

> September 19th. . Mr W. E. Wilkes's sawmill at RichI'jmond was saved ■ from destruction by 1•[ fire on Tuesday evening through the ", good work of the local Fire Brigade, jmill hands, and other helpers, in spite "jof a northerly gale. A boy named "{Percy Fowler noticed a flame coming " out of the roof of the sawmill, and im- ' I mediately gave the alarm. Mr *.! "Wilk.es, who is captain o£ the Fire '! Brigade, was quickly on the scene, end soon had a hose playing water on the 'fire. The firemen and their assistants "worked splendidly and managed to get 'the flames under control. Mr. "Wilkes 'is of opinion that the fire was caused ~by a spark from the chimney igniting ' some shavings near tiie roof. His son _ visited the mill about half an hour be- " fore the outbreak was discovered, and, |as he smelt something burning,, soaked the shavings near the engine as a precaution. No sign of fire, however, ; was observable anywhere in the mill. 1 £L ie dama £c 's estimated at about £300. a Ihc insurances on the sawmill portion of the plant are £1830 in the Roval office. . - September 21st. , About six o'clock yesterday morning j the firebells sounded an alarm for an f outbreak of fire which had occurred in _ v wardrobe in a house owned by Mrs S ;W. Chi Ids in Wek.i street. The fire ..j.had-evidently been, smouldering some r ; time, as a quantity of clothing was de-' 1 : strayed.. Messrs D. Hurley and A. r 1 Gray extinguished the flames with seve_!ral buckets of water before the arrival s iof the brigade. Mrs GJiilds was away y. ; from home,, but two ladies were living on _, the promises. The "building was a new j ( ' one, and replaced the one destroyed by s fire some months ago. i -1