Man’s Close Call

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIV, Issue 125, 28 October 1930, Page 5

Man’s Close Call

NEARLY BURNED TO DEATH.

SLEPT THROUGH FIRE.

Although an apartment house, No. 85, The Terrace, Wellington, was burning fiercely last evening, an old man, Mr J. Needham, slept soundly in a back room, and was only awakened by firemen breaking their way into the building after the flames had been subdued. He -was at the time the sole occupant of the house, and there is little doubt that a tragedy was narrowly averted by the promptness of the fire brigade in arriving on the scene, and getting the fire under control. The alarm was given at 9.52 p.m. by Mr J. T. Reid, a nightwatchman, who also cleared the nearby fire-plugs in readiness for the brigade’s arrival. He broke the windows of the front bedroom and crawled on his hands and knees to make sure that no one was slumbering there. He was not able to remain inside long, however, owing to the increasing heat and smoke. The building, a wooden one of two storeys and of five rooms was well alight when the brigade arrived, but within a few minutes the flames were extinguished. The ground floor with contents was damaged by fire and water, while the upper story was damaged by heat and smoke.