RAGING BUSH FIRES

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1932, Page 5

RAGING BUSH FIRES

SETTLERS’ GALLANT FIGHT IN TJBEWERA COUNTRY. ■. ■ -- MAORI MISSION THREATENED. . ■ ■ ■■.■ . ' ' ■ ' ■ . - Auckland, Dec. 19». 1 /A For three days ;md two nights *• small band of residents at Ruatahuna, in the Urewera Country, unceasingly . fought an extensive bush fire which threatened to destroy the mission house .kJ/ at the settlement and a number Maoris’ homes. The fire was the largest ■ seen in the district for over 20 years, ■ and burned for over two weeks. It- ~ ? destroyed three buildings and a mile of . bush along Rotorua I^e Waikare- ■ moana road, as well as devastating number of scenic spots frequently visitedby campers and motorists. The .mission house at Ruatahuna, ■- • : which is 78 miles from Rotorua,, hM '■ •. ? been conducted. for the past 16 year* J by Sister Annie, other Europeans ity the settlement being the schoolmaster, ■ kkjjj Mr. S. Barr,, his wife, and two other J women, one of them being a sister of \ the missioner, Mrs. A. J; Johnson, of .5 Western Australia, who was on a holiday visit to New Zealand. The fire broke out two weeks ago » about a mile from the mission as the /ki/.k-i result, it is believed, of a camp fire, left •' <; by Maoris, who were catching eels in/the I 'sik-k£ stream. For several: days no attention ' was paid to the outbreak, which' con* tinned to burn quietly,, but one after- .' ’J noon Sister Annie saw a terrified, deer which had rushed from the bush toward* ’ kj/ki a pool in which .70 Maori children were bathing.- ' M ALARM GIVEN. ' -k: ' . ' ■ - '-.k She at once went to warn them of the danger, and "found that a strong'/is;'Aswind had arisen, and the fire was com* .-//'kSj mencing to spread rapidly. It war immediately realised that with the wind ‘ fanning the flames in the direction• • of* the settlement a number of buildings were in danger, and all the residents A gathered to fight the outbreak. A num--, -A ber of Maoris at once began to cufr.fire. breaks to protect the mission property, -'A while wet sacks were placed on the building to ward off sparks which were. ; being driven in clouds by the wind. : . The efforts of the workers were con- kf/W tinued all night, the women, both Eure* pean and Native, assisting the men. -k..k ; . After darkness fell, the spectacle- was one of cruel beauty, the flames present- k'iing a striking picture as they leaped . through, the undergrowth and from tree to tree. The heat and smoke were at,.;fltimes almost overpowering, but the - settlers continued their battle without J , respite all next day, the following night,. - and again on the third * day. During. ‘ 4 this time, neither Sister Annie nor any of the other white residents, obtained- , _ki; any sleep, continuing their efforts to , protect the mission house, while the. Maoris kept working on the fire breaks and/-in' suppressing -small fires which :•/.'//, had been started by sparks. . - Meals were prepared hastily in Jttwr mission and eaten under most difficult /. .- circumstances. On the. third day,. when. .' ' the position appeared almost hopeless, and wind began to fall and rain set with the result that the danger slid-' < denly passed, although it was some.time before the fire finally died out The. ■ f-kj homes of two Maoris were burned and. / ’ / another lost a store containing six bales of wool, the season’s output of his property. ... ' ■ . -. .-*-’A A new, Maori meeting house, recently constructed, was not in Serious danger,. as it stood some, distance away, across// the..stream, while the former meeting house was similarly safe. , Several * beautiful spots in the bush frequentlyvisited by campers and motorists were laid waste, including one glade- which > > 7 had long been, pointed out to all -val* . - tors and tourists by the settlers. Tlie bush was destroyed for a distance >p£ \ over a mile along the main road, .;