FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 27, 1 November 1873, Page 9

FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

At about two o'clock on} Thursday morning, a fire broke out in George street, which destroyed the block of wooden buildings in which it originated, namely, the premises occupied by Messrs Schmidt, Durie, Jolly, Chiaroni, Wilson and Morrison, and G. I. Merrie. The amount of insurance on the block was, we believe, about £1500, which must be greatly below the value of the property destroyed. The buildings on the opposite side of the street, and the Royal George Hotel had a very narrow escape ; at one time, we hear, the European Hotel was actually on fire, but a hose belonging to the premises soon extinguished the fire and kept the premises safe. Some of the shops adjoining the Hotel had the windows broken. There seems to have been- a delay of ten minutes in ringing the fire-bell, and the firemen were not at all prompt in attending. Fortunately, however, the fire was coufined to the one block of wooden buildings. A curious circumstance is that a little shop occupied by Mr Jolly, junr., around which the flames raged fiercely, was untouched by the fire.