BIG BLAZE

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 82, 3 April 1934, Page 6

BIG BLAZE

TEN-ROOMED HOUSE BURNED

VALUABLE CONTENTS LOST

Fire on Sunday evening completely destroyed a two-storeyed wooden house of ten. rooms, owned by Mr J. McLennan, and situated in Farm Road, about three miles from Waipukurau. The owner and his family were absent in Hastings at the time, and although the Fire Brigade was quickly on the scene, it was unable to do anything to quell the flames, as no water was available, the house being outside the borough. The only thing saved was the motor shed. The cause of tfee outbreak is unknown.

The blaze lit up the countryside for miles around and the reflection was seen by a party of Waipukurau residents from the Napier side of Otane. The alarm was given by Fireman R. Spotswood, of Waipukurau, who saw the reflection and sounded the siren. A large crowd quickly assembled. The building had been recently painted, thus giving an added impetus to the fire, and in a few minutes the structure was a raging inferno, making it impossible to approach within close distance of the blaze. It is understood that the owner, Mr McLennan, is a heavy loser, and in addition to all his furniture and effects there were a number of valuable curios and paintings destroyed which he had brought out from Scotland. These, apart from their commercial value, were prized for sentimental reasons. The whole building is a total loss, and what was once an old and well-known residence in the Waipukurau district is now nothing but a heap of ashes and debris.