Grass Fires Keep Wanganui Brigade Moderately Busy

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 December 1947, Page 4

Grass Fires Keep Wanganui Brigade Moderately Busy

Five calls to grass fires yesterday were responsible for the Wanganui Fire Brigade having a moderately busy day. Some calls were closely spaced, but at no stage were two machines absent from Central Station at the same time. L'hree of the calls, received at 10.32 ?.m., 10.57 a.m. and 3.43 p.m., were to the railway line between the city and Aramoho, where sparks from passing locomotives had probably set alight to growth beside the track. A cal! was also received at 3.j9 p.m. to the corner of Jellicoe and Tinirau Streets, Wanganui East, and the fifth was to Brunswick Road, Aramoho, where gorse was burning near the chemical works. All the fires were extinguished bybucket pumps and no damage to property resulted. High Spring Tides Due partly to strong westerly and north-westerly winds over the past three days, spring tides at Castleclift have been abnormally high. The maximum during the present springs was reached at 11 a.m. on Sunday, when there was a rise of 10 feet. The normal rise for the peak of spring tides is about Bft. 91n., but the figure fluctuates according to circumstances. Strong westerly winds, however, usually cause the tides at Castlecliff to back up to higher levels than normally.