MYSTERY OF BACH FIRE

Chronicle (Levin), 30 May 1949, Page 5

MYSTERY OF BACH FIRE

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Taxi Driver's Badly Burned Body Foiffid

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' Cxi-fciJ-fe -LOJrLU XvVj4J.j> The badly burned body of Bruce Owen Edwarda, aged 34, a taxi driver, waa found by. the police in a tworoomed bach at the back of a house 79 Springfield Road, which twas destroyej by fire early this morning. The fires was discovefed by the police at 4.30 a.m. when a police patrol cafj was near Springfield ^Road. The glo w^was ^ I seen coming from the back of. the house and the car raced to the scene. By then the baeh was ablaze from end toend. It was attached to the wash house and storeroom at tlie back. of the house. . - Constable W. S. Armstrohg : .-ePnfe -y-q municated with headquarters • throiigh . the radio telephone on the patrol car- I and the fire brigade was informed. ' Sergeant O. D. Wilkes and other con- * stables went immediately to the fire but found that nothing could.be done until 'fhe arrival of the brigade. The bach'was an inferno with red hoi sheets of roofing iron falling into the rooms. Two engines were sent to i*i e fire, one from the St. Albans statiomend the other from / the Central starbm. With two deliveries of water the fire was soon brought under control and it was found that the body of a man was lying face downwards on the fioor. The body was fully dressed and was terriblv burned. The bach was severelv damaged with only the , walls left standing but the attached storeroom and washhouse eseaped serious damage. v Deteetives were notified and SeniorDetective F. J. Brady and Detective Sergeants G. W. Altv ^and A. B. Tate , made immediate inquiries. Later Snper intendent J.- B. Young and Inspector T. E. Holmes went to the bach and were joined by the Coroner, Mr. Raymond Ferner, Dr. A. B. Pearson (patholo gist) and Sergeant J. B. Kearton (police photographer). A careful exaininat'ion was made before photographs were taken and the police took possession of the remains of two electric radiators, a wireless and some electric fittings. Under Dr. Pearson 's direetion the body was taken to the Christchurch Public Hospital morgue. Inquiries established that Edwards had returned to the bach about 2.30 a.m. after being at a party. JEe had apparently not undressed or taken his shoes off. Edwards had been living in, the bach for about five months. An inquest will be opene'd tomorrow morning.