SERIOUS BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1052, 15 February 1911, Page 7

SERIOUS BUSH FIRES.

IN AUCKLAND PROVINCE;r

THE FLAMES SWEEP LARGE AREAS. ■• A CITY UNDER SMOKE, (By Tcleerapn.-Speciai Correspondent.)' Auckland,- February 14. ■ Tho bush firea raging in many parts of tho Auckland province have' not occasioned a very great deal of damage so far, but the country is well alight, and a sudden gale such as that which visited tho Poverty Bay side at tho end of last week might, do incalculable mischief. The vast■forests that.cover.the Hokianga .country down to the Northern Wairoa and' practically down to Kaipara Harbourj are bone dry, and fires'are burning in the clearings. Over at Kawhia, and all down through tho King Country, the position is the same. The grass has been dried to a tinder, the foreits are dry, and everywhere the ground is parched, for .want of .rain. So far there hayo been no heavy wind?, but if. a big blow comes on without an accompaniment of rain; there will be an enormous blaze,.and hundreds of miles of territory might be devastated. Hot ; Ashes Fall"Like..Snowfiakes",;..: For a week past the city has been under smoke. , To-day the atmosphere is still, and hot ashes occasionally come down out of the smoke cloud, like snowflakes, and in Queen Street, in the heart of the city, there is a strong smell of burning bush. At seven o'clock this morning the sun was faintly visible and blood red, showing only a dim sort of dawn light on the city and harbour, and scows ?nd;; steamers emerged or. disap: peared. in the haze like ghostly .shadows. A big n¥ea'<sJ r the City'Council'sbush on" theNihotapu watershed is blazing round about Kakahi. ■ . • ■ Anxious Times on Main Trunk. Near -Ta'umarunui the bush is burning for miles, ? and ( th,e,. mill was only; saved by the most strenuous effort. Many bush camps we're burned but. At.Eaurirau, the little settlement at the foot of the great spiralon the Main Trunk, the people are anxiously hoping for rain, as if the\fire sweeps their way the village will be doomed above the spiral. Of tho higlifcountry of Waimafino, Ohnkuna, anddfwn.to Taihape, on the other fide of the' AVaiouru •. Plain,, bush , fires are burning.-'but so'far no serious damage is' reported, • although the houses .near Oha-. kune, Kailway Station had a narrow escape, from 'destruction.--': '. r ■;/■*.■.''*■',•'■ •'■ : - r

, ...-.I.': "•: Stock Endangered. ._ . In the-Totero, Ohura, and Mangaotaki districts back froni Tβ Kuiti,. fires. are raging over 9 big extent of .'country, and some fears are entertained for stock. Some big swamps in- the AVaikato district are burning, the'peaty soil being very dry. The most. serious burn is that on the Rukuhia swamp,' as practically .the y."hole area from Ohaupo to Frarikton and westward to, Tuhikarameji and .Koromatua has been ;swepf. by- ,the flames.. Much grass and fencing has been destroyed, and the fire has now a tremendous hold on the timber and ; dry vegetation below the ground surface-~ „-'? v/■•;■:;■•■;.' Kawhja settlers are h'aying'a very-anxi-ous time,' as they fear : a 'repetition. of- the' terrible '.experience "of a. few yejirs back, when the Oparau Valley was burned from end to'endi Stock are being" kept'on th« clearest ground .possible, and repeatedly mustered, ready for driving off if the fires threaten too closely. ' : . ' ■.- Navigation on'Kawhia Harbour has been:hampered by tho. dense -smoke;... ..• (By'.Telegraph—Press : ,■■.'"'•.■" faihape, February 14. Bush and grass fires are raging' over large areas of country, and., stock are, being 'driven away.;'! The losa of iiftodt ft.' isorious. ' Strenuous efforts are being made to fight the fires- and save property. It was reported this morning that 1 much damage.has been dope in-.thc:Ohura district, and, unless rain comes soon, serious results are feared. The telephoneservice is suffering.;-.,-.'/.' v ••/ : --■■'. .