THIRD FIRS WITHIN WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1933, Page 6

THIRD FIRS WITHIN WEEK

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES NEW PLYMOUTH OUTBREAK. CALLS TO EMPTY BUILDING. The third fire in the week occurred at New Plymouth last night when the brigade was summoned at 10.25 p.m. to an unoccupied house in central Courtenay Street almost opposite the New Plymouth Bowling Club’s greens. A disturbing feature of the outbreak was the discovery of traces of a fire which had been started in another room, but had failed to secure a hold. The outbreak was in an old-fashioned six-roomed house believed to be the property of Mr. T. Mills and his daughter, Mrs. Wagstaff. The alarm was given by Mr. H. G. Koster. The seat of the fire was in a front rom on the west corner and the paper and scrim enabled the flames to spread rapidly. Good work by the brigade soon subdued the flames. Investigation revealed the remains of a fire that had apparently been started in a rear corner room. The house had been unoccupied only four days. Most of the outbreaks attended by the New Plymouth Fire Brigade in the last two years have been in unoccupied dwellings and empty buildings and Superintendent A. Boon said last night that the circumstances in most cases were decidedly suspicious.