PASTURES DESTROYED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20539, 14 February 1935, Page 11

PASTURES DESTROYED.

Grass Fires Sweep Taylor’s Mistake Area. The Sumner Fire Brigade and helpers were kept busy until midnight last night fighting grass fires which occurred in the Taylor’s Mistake district. Early in the evening an area of about fifty acres on part of the sheep run owned by Mr R. Forbes was burnt. Soon after five o’clock fire-fighters rushed to the top of Scarborough near Mr W. Machin’s property. Dense smoke was pouring across the Taylor’s Mistake Road towards Mr LangdaleHunt’s shearing shed, and the pastures on the eastern side of the road were a mass of flames. It is stated that whilst some burning was being carried out in the late afternoon the wind proved too strong and the fire in the long tussock got out of hand. From the cliffs above the northern beach of Taylor’s Mistake it carried up the rank growth of the gully towards the residence of Mr and Mrs Meeks, the top house overlooking the bay. For some time the house was threatened, but the flames were beaten off and spread along the cliffs above Giant’s Eye. The metal road on the saddle of the hill proved a reliable break and the area affected was confined to the slopes between the road and the cliffs. The fire burned for about two hours and was well in hand by seven o’clock. A Second Outbreak. The fire brigade was called up again just before 10 o’clock, the hillside towards the lighthouse run having caught alight. It appeared as if the fire had been started at more than one spot in Mr Forbes’s run near Little Taylors, in the vicinity of Black Rock. It was sweeping up the spurs towards the Summit Road leading to the lighthouse and was spreading south towards the sheep run owned by Mr Langdale-llunt. One party of fighters, armed with heavy’ canvas beaters, made straight up the hill to the Summit Road and succeeded in keeping the flames from crossing over the top road. Another worked from the rear of the fire while a third checked the spread of the flames through the fence line above the residences at the east end of the main beach. The efforts of the brigade and its helpers—about fifty men and youths—resulted in the fire being thrashed out within the limit of the sheep run belonging to Mr Forbes.