FATAL FIRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5023, 9 June 1884, Page 2

FATAL FIRE.

♦ Two Children Burned to Death at Springfield. [SPECIAL TO THE " STAR."] SPEINGFIELD, June 9. | The house of William Chesterfield, bootmaker, was burned down last night about '. 6 p.m. Two children, aged three and five years, who were in bed at the time, were burned to death. The bodies have since ! been recovered. An inquest will be held j to-day. Two of the elder children were left in charge of the house while the parents went for a walk. Every effort was made by the neighbours to save the children, but without avail. i [LATEE,] The circumstances, so far as at present can be known, are as follow : — Mr William Chesterfield, bootmaker, asked Mrs Chesterfield to accompany him, as he was going to put his mare in the paddock.. They left in the house five children, and the eldest, a boy of twelve, had to look after the house and the younger ones until his parents' return. A neighbour shortly after looked in, and seeing the children asked if their father was at home. All was then right. Eeceiving an answer in the negative, he went away. This would be about half-an-hour before the fire was first seen. It appears that after this the youngest, a boy of three, and the next, a girl of four to five, were put to bed. The two eldest boys then went out, leaving the next, a girl of six, by herself. All that further is known from this little one is that she was unlacing her shoes when the flame of a candle, the only light burning, caught a towel or something. Before any alarm was given the fire had got a complete hold of the house, which, with everything that it contained, was in half an hour burnt to the ground. The house, is insured in the Standard office for £125, and the furniture in the Australian Mercantile for Nothing has of course been saved, and besides wear- : ing apparel and stock, Mr Chesterfield has also lost the whole of his account books, so that the extent of property destroyed is far from represented by the actual amount of the insurance.