CONSTANT CALLS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 83, 2 January 1935, Page 4

CONSTANT CALLS

Grass and Gorse Fires Keep Fire Brigade Busy RAIN BRINGS RESPITE The advent of rain was received by Wellington fire brigades with relief, for during the last few days they have been called out continually to quell gorse and grass fires facilitaied by the dry weather. However, now that the drought has broken, they anticipate a welcome respite. Monday’s work began at 7.40 a.m., when the brigade was summoned to a grass lire at Ngaio, and there was another call from the same locality at 11.45 a.m. Other gorse and grass fires broke out during the day at Khandallah, Island Bay. Wadestown and Kaiwarra. The Wadestown conflagration was the most serious; it comprised a number of minor outbreaks in the neighbourhood of the railway line, suspected to have been caused by sparks from locomotives. At one time there were two engines on the spot and four fire-fighting appliances in action.

A more serious call was to a fire in the residence at Island Bay of Mrs. Emily Christenson. The premises were owned by Mr. Angus Dunean. A washhouse at the back of the building was with its contents severely damaged by fire, and the weatherboarding of the main building was badly scorched. Monday ended, as it had begun, with a grass fire at Ngaio. At midnight the brigade started the New Year by extinguishing a gorse fire at Mornington. A 2 a.m. call summoned them to Short Street, Vogeltown, where a wood-and-iron two-story building, owned by Mr. Reginald Brown and inhabited by Mr. William Charles Peters, was badly damaged. This was an eight-room building, used as a shop and fiats. The rear portion with its contents was severely damaged. At 4.47 a.m. a final gruss fire broke out, this time at Mortimer Terrace. Brooklyn, before the welcome arrival of rain and cool weather put an end to the epidemic of fires. LOSSES AT AUCKLAND By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, December 31. The fire losses in Auckland this year amounted to about £25,000. There was only one fire in which the loss exceeded £5OOO, that being a timber yard blaze. The brigade superintendent said that they had been lucky in the number of early alarms received. Both the largest number of fires and the largest individual loss had resulted from grass fires, due principally to sparks from railway engines.