FATAL FIRE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 45, 17 November 1926, Page 12

FATAL FIRE

HOTEL BURNT DOWN YOUNG MAN LOSES LIFE Bx Telegraph.—Press Association Greymouth, November 16. The Midland ■ Railway Hotel at Totara Flat was destroyed by lire early this morning. There were twenty-five rooms in the 61d two-story building, and nothing was saved. Michael Robinson (aged 21), a son of Mr. Arthur Robinson, county councillor, was fatally burnt. All the other occupants escaped uninjured. The hotel, owned and occupied by W. McVicar, was insured in the Atlas Office for £llOO. The house and con tents, valued at £l3OO, were bought by McVicar quite recently. BLAZE AT NGARUAWAHIA . -ME SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. By Telegraph.— Press Associate Hamilton, November 16. The biggest fire in Ngaruawahia for some years occurred early this morning, and was attended by serious consequences. The blaze apparently originated in Mr. Peter Stannic’s billiard saloon, which with the adjoining shops of Mr. Ivan Smith (hairdresser and tobacconist), and Miss E. Pickering, was completely gutted. Messrs. Russell and McFarlane’s draper? shop, which was in imminent danger of destruction, w’as saved by the brigade. The flames had a good hold when the alarm was given. The inmates of one of the premises were awakened by noise and escaped in their night attire, losing everything. All those concerned are heavy losers. In endeavouring to get the fire under control, one fireman was severely wounded by falling glass, and another was overcome by dense smoke and had to receive medical attention. FUSED CABLES START BLAZE FEEDER BOX WRECKED BY LORRY Dominion Special, Auckland, November 16. A motor lorry came into violent contact with an electric feeder box at the intersection of Albert and Wyndham Streets early this afternoon, and by completely wrecking the box caused a blaze that created some excitement. Although the engine of the lorry came to rest over the blazing cables and remained in that dangerous position for about ten minutes, the vehicle did not take fire, and was hauled into the road- ' way without apparently having suffered , much damage. There is some mystery attached to the occurrence, as the driver of the lorry stated that he left the vehicle ; standing at the kerb on the western ; side of Albert Street. When his atten- ] tion was drawn to the blaze at the ' feeder box he got an uncomfortable shock on noticing that his lorry was ' involved. As far as he could see the only solution of. the mystery was that the lorry had been struck by another vehicle passing down Albert Street and started on its destructive run, or that some unauthorised person had attempted to drive the lorry away and bad come to grief in turning into Wyndham Street. In crashing on to the footpath the lorry ran intq the feeder box, tearing it eway from its foundations and causing the electric cables to fuse. Fed by the melting pitch with which the j cables are surrounded, the fire blazed fiercelv, and for a time the lorry was in danger of being burned. Nothing , could be done bv the brigade to quench I the fire, and steps were immediately taken to remove the vehicle. Bv the 1 time this had been done the current in 1 the cables had been cut off and the , fire soon burned itself out. I EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN STORE. 1 By Telegraph.—Press association. J Auckland. November 16. A fire to-night in a brick, one-storied J building in Newton Road, occupied by ( the Home and Colonial Stores as a head office and storeroom, caused ex- i tensive damage. The fire burned fierce- ’ ly and the brigade had a hard task to subdue it. The value of the stock is given as £13,000,, and consisted of pro- 1 visions, fancy goods, sacks of produce i and other goods. / J. Robertson, owner of the building, j and proprietor and manager of the t Home and. Colonial Stores, was sitting in the office at the front of the build- d ing, when a passerby threw up a win- J dow and told him the rear of the build- J ing was in flames. Robertson made' a ' hurried effort to save some important 1 papers, but the lights then failed and b lie had to dash for safety, his hands ; and face being scorched by the flames. s

Be prepared See that vou have adequate fire insurance. Consult the Mer cantilc and General Insurance Co., Ltd., Panama Street, Wellington.— Advt.