SERIOUS OTAKI FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1570, 14 October 1912, Page 6

SERIOUS OTAKI FIRE.

FOUR PREMISES

GOOD FIGHT BY BUCKET PARTY,

A fire, attended with rather disastrous results, broke out at Otaki shortly after one o'clock on Sunday morning, when several buildings, belonging to tho Hoinbersley Estate, . were burned to the ground. It seems that tho fire originated in ifr. J. Livesey's shop, and it is surmised that it was due to a pie-heater, which caused trouble some two years ago. Mr. Livesey's son was first awakened by hearing the cracking of glass, and tho presence of a dense volume of smoke, and he immediately proceeded to his parents' bedroom and gave the alarm. Mr. Livesey rushed out, and found the front of his shop almost one mass of flames, and he and Mrs. Livesey were only able to gather a few clothes and moke their escape.

Thero being no water supply, tho building was left to the mercy of the flames, and in a few minutes it was burning like matchwood, the shop, dwellinghouse, and bakery being destroyed.

All old, unoccupied house adjoining also caught fire, while Messrs. Bilts, Moore, and Carpenter's large store-room was soon ablaze, .too, and, by the time that other residents, had been awakened, it was too late to save anything, and, consequently, their stock, valued at about .6250, was totally destroyed. There was ,£IOO insurance on this stock in the Royal Office, and a similar amount on Livesey's (in the Alliance), but the latter will be a loser to the extent of about ,£IOO.

After some little time a bucket brigade was organised, and was soon fighting hard against great odds, but, by their united efforts, Mrs. Cockrell's fine house, only a few feet awny from the store-room, was saved, practically no damage being done. Le On's shop, containing fruit and other goods generally found in a Chinese shop, at the opposite end, had caught, however, and- was soon past saving, and so water was thrown on to Mr, J. C. Retter's blacksmith shop, and this building fortunately saved. It was a hard fight, and, had a wind been blowing, this and several other buildings would have been destroyed. The hfcat from the flames were sufficient to break several plate-glass windows on the other side of tho Toad, while various buildings were also scorched. The telegraph and telephone wires were also damaged, but Mr. Wylie, linesman, and his staff, lost no time in giving this matter their attention.

Among the losers by the fire is Mr. Byron Brown, who had stored in the "old auction' mart," as it was commonly called, a large quantity of machinery, valued at over .£2OO, and which he had only sold a few days ago for that amount, but, unfortunately for him, it had not been removed.

Tho fire, naturally, has caused much talk, and several who were previously opposed to a Town Board, high-pressure water supply, etc., are now inclined in favour of such,, it being certain that had there been water and a fire brigade, practically the whole of the buildings could have been saved. 1 The reflection of the fire was seen, for many miles, but only residents living in tho vicinity were at the scene, several living near not even knowing of tho outbreak, as Otaki at present possesses not even a fire bell.