“NEARLY ROASTED ALIVE.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17350, 15 May 1924, Page 12

“NEARLY ROASTED ALIVE.”

FIRE AT FENDALTON. At about nine o’clock last, evening;, a fire broke out at No. 23, Jackson s Road, Fendalton, in a four-roomed wooden house 'belonging to Mr William Henry Mar ley and occupied by Mr A. M M’Conachie. The house, which was a very old structure, stood .some distance back from the road and was thickly surrounded by trees. By the time the fire brigade arrived the fire

had a good hold and owing to the scarcity of water the brigadesmen could only confine their attention to keeping tho flames off the trees and adjoining buildings. .Mr MConaohie, who was “ baching ’* in the premises, had retired early in the evening. The crackling of the burning building woke him, but by this time the fire had a strong hold. The room was full of suffocating smoke, but lie managed to secure his clothes and a pair of boots and dash outside. He was just able to escape being suffocated, for. as it, was he could only stagger out of the way. £ I just missed being roasted alive ” he. said to a reporter, “and I’m very lucky to Had there been a sufficiency of v. ;»ter the front part of the houso might have been saved, but tho nearest water supply was from the Avon at Mona Vale nearly a quarter of a mile distant. The fire was tho first to occur in Fendalton since the Christchurch Lire Board agreed on April 8 to include tho district in the fire protection area. By a coincidence the outbreak occurred in a portion of the district- in which Superintendent C. G. "W arner in his report to the board at that meeting stated the water was too far awav to bo of much use in the inrioient stages of n fire, when it was most needed. There was no insurance on the building, but the contents were insured for £l5O in the Liverpool, London and Globe Office.