FIRE IN BYMONDS-STREET.— ALLEGED INCENDIARISM.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 267, 17 November 1870, Page 2

FIRE IN BYMONDS-STREET.— ALLEGED INCENDIARISM.

Yesterday morning at three o'clock was discovered what is believed by the occupiers of the property to have been a determined attempt to burn down a house in Symondsstreet. The property is occupied by a man named Barton. The family had all retired to rest by nine o'clock the previous evening, hiving carefully extinguished the fire and candle before doing so. At about three o'clock in the morning, Mrs. Barton was awakened by an unusual noise, and at, once perceived that the house was on fire. HaviDg screamed out and alarmed her husband and chil ren, the most strenuous efforts were promptly put forth to get the fire under. It was found that the paper on the walls was in a blaze, and the room, in which five persons were sleeping, was full of smoke. Barton seized a bucket of water which, fortunately, was in the house, and threw it on the burning wall, but this was found to be insufficient, as by that time the flames had spread over a larger surface. With great effort the fire was at last got under, but not till the whole of the children's clothes and a great part of the furniture had been destroyed. Barton's hands, and his wife's feet have been very seriously injured, but they were fortunate in coming off as well as tbey did, havbjg had a narrow escape of losing their lives. In some parts of the house there are openings between the boards an inch wide, which are covered with canvas and paper, and it was in one of these apertures that the fire had its origin. It is said that some unpleasantness exists regarding the property in question, and that we are likely to hear something more of the matter.