Fatal Fire in Auckland.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1889, 27 September 1886, Page 2

Fatal Fire in Auckland.

A CHILD BURNT TO DEATH. Shortly after 11 Ins' Thursday night a lire broke out in a font roomed cottage in Wynyard street, Auckland, which was burned to the ground. One of the inmates, a son or Mr C. E. Madden, solicitor, was burned to death. Charles Wright was walking along Wynyard street on the road home, when he noticed a glare in the front window of Mr Madden’s house. Feeling apprehensive that something was wrong, he ran to the door aud knocked. Mrs Madden came to the door partly dressed, and opened it and then closed it in her excitement. He saw the flames inside and at once kicked in the door. He carried out two children five or six years old, who were iu their night dresses, and took them to Mr. Campbell’s next door. On coming back he saw M rs Madden coming round (he back of the house with a child in her arms. She was in a perfect frenzy, fancying (be three other children were in the bouse. On learning (ba( one was still missing, she attempted to go back into (be flames with the child in her arms, but Mr Wright prevented her. He was unable to penetrate to the room where the missing child had been sleeping, as (he the whole honse waa then in flames. Mrs. Madden was iu a state of hysteria, and it was fonnd necessary to rtmove her to the Hospital iu a cab. As soon as possible the tiiemen penetrated into the room indicated as the one iu which the missing boy slept, and found the body of William Samuel, the the third son, aeed five years. The body presented a terrible spectacle, but it was clear that the child could have suffered little, having died in bis sleep from suffocation. The oldest boy, aged eight years, states that (he fire arose from an exploeion of a kerosene lamp in the bedroom, wtaiot) Ml flip tQ the bedclothes,