SERIOUS FIRES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 4, 6 January 1944, Page 4

SERIOUS FIRES

TAUPO BUSH AREA MEN HAVE NARROW ESCAPE (P.A.) Auckland, Jan. 5. Bush fires which have been raging in Taupo for the nast ten days became very serious in the Acacia Bay area about midday yesterday. when the house of Nfr. E. A. Wakeman was seriously threatened. A call was made for volunteer fighters and 30 men responded. Under lhe direction of public works engineers and Mr. B. Booth and with the assistance of a large bulldozer the house was saved, but two motor-cars, a garage, and a large store shed were destroyed. The shed contained a considerable amount of valuable household goods. There are five beach cottages in this locality, but so far they have escaped. A party of three men working a large bulldozer to put a firebreak round the Wakeman forestry plantation was trapped by the fire, but succeeded in getting the machine out by making an old burn. They lost lheir coats and other gear. The fire eventually jumped the firebreak and at dust last evening was burning rieht into the plantation, the trees of which are 29 years old and are mostly Oregon and redwood. The same fire, which had travelled north as far as the Huka fishing lodge, but was stopped by back-burn-ing on Monday, became very active near Reid’s farm yesterday. About three p.m. it jumped the Waikato River over a distance of 300 yards end at dusk was burning fiercely on the opposite bank. On the Rotorua-Taupo road the flames yesterday’ reached a point eight miles from lhe big Rotokawa Forestry Company's plant, in which direction they were making rapid progress up to sunset, when the wind changed to the opposite direction, north-west. This will undoubtedly retard the progress of the fire unless there is a further change of wind. The whole situation is considered to he serious ow>ng to the drv state of th<* country. The State Fire Service has a radio patrol out covering whole area where the fires are burning. This squad is in constant com- . munication with a largp number of fire-fighters, whose services can bn called upon at. any point where . necessary.