A TIMELY RESCUE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19861, 26 July 1934, Page 8

A TIMELY RESCUE

ELDERLY COUPLE ESCAPE DEATH

By Telegraph—Press Association INVERCARGILL, July 25.

A narrow escape from death by burning befel Mr and Mrs J. C. Paget, an elderly couple, in the early hours of this morning when the house in Racecourse Road in which they resided, became enveloped in flames. Mrs Paget was awakened by an unusual noise which she quickly realised was the crackling of flames, and she aroused her husband, who, probably owing to the fact that he suffers from deafness, was still asleep. The only avenue of escape was through the bedroom window, and Paget was faced with grave difficulty ' for his wife is partially paralysed, and he knew he would have to lift her through the window and lower her to the ground. The bottom half of the window jammed and he was endeavouring to get her through the top part when help unexpectedly arrived. A taxi driver, G. Murrell, was returning to Invercargill from Gore when his attention was attracted by the house burning fiercely, and when he reached the scene he observed Paget endeavouring to lift his wife through the window. The bedroom by this time was well alight and there was not a second to spare if a rescue was to be accomplished. The two men soon had Mrs Paget safely out of the burning room none the worse for her nerve-wracking experience. The house was situated outside the city area so that the services of the brigade would not have been available.