SERIOUS BUSH FIRES NEAR WELLINGTON.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1489, 22 February 1887, Page 3

SERIOUS BUSH FIRES NEAR WELLINGTON.

Welungtok, February 21.

Another heavy but»H flro broke out, at Martinborongh, on'Mitohell'o run, near I Henderson's sawmill, A bridga wa* burned down on the Martinborougb and G re* town road. The Greytnwn Fire Bruad • was eal ed out to firep at Morou, Kvmpton'i, Gun tty's, and Fabian's homesteads are. In. danger, and hundreds of I men are working to stop the progress of I the fire. It has been blowing a gale all day, *xA Is raining lightly, A settler na«ned Matson has had hid ehed and buy* tt«ok burned. At Mauterton an unccoupled eeven>roomed house m Ohuro» street, owned by Mr A. G. Smith wai buined down this morning. It was Insured m the Hew Zealand office for £iJOO Seriouß bush and graas fires are reported from all parts of the district, the heavy winds causing the fires to be very dottruotlve. It Maarioevillo the h u«* of a settler namod Neilaon was destroyed, also sever-tt sheds end a Jar^o q«»u ny of fencing. In the settlements ' « over a I homeiteada are m danger through tho fires, gre*t exertions boinv> mvin ti «*vo thacu. Palm r^oa N<>rih was n s gre»t st&te of '.'icuonient yesterday m couonquenoe of the extreme danger of the wholo town being destroyod by tiro. Fires were beeaking out m all direotions, and at all hours of the day the fire>bells were ooutinually ringing oat alarms owing to grass and stamps catching alight m the vicinity of -houses, and spreading whh the high wim 1 The Brigades were "ut nearly all d*y, but desi It- »hi!r efforts the residence of a man named Fuller, and an uooccupTcd hoise, tho property of F. Janoon, were burat, and a number of ahedn, uothouies b> f stacks, and feiices destroyed. In some pai ti of the town hounes m whole streets wd^u emptlai of fornltare/J md a watoh" kept .throughout the night. tSsveral reaid«uces caught, but the fire was put out, Suverat Battlers' houses vi tho ourrbondx^og district h«d a narrow escape. Tho eq'iare itself was m great danger at one ttmtf /?om otraw wbich h»d ignited m a y^rd sdjolniog Fergaoion's store, but by gret l t effort! this was got ouc The wind has g"De down somewhat this morning, and tho danger is over fir the present, but,. should the wnd spring up again the state of things is likely to be as bad as ever. '" .