TWO FATAL FIRES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3933, 27 February 1884, Page 3

TWO FATAL FIRES.

A MAN AND A BOY BURNED TO

DEATH,

FIRE BRIGADE REFUSES TO WORK

xVT FIRE,

Auckland, This day

A fire broke out at 1 o'clock this morning in a two-storey building at Parnell, the lower portion occupied by Mr Biggs, bootmaker, aud the upper storey as a boardinghouse by Mr Curtin. Tho fire spread with great rapidity, the building being a wooden one. All the inmates succeeded in effecting their escape from the burning building, with the exception of one young man named Michael Hog an. Daniel Reevy, one of the boarders, states that he was awoke by cries of "Fire," and, jumping out of his bed, opened the door of the room, but was met with such a suffocating volume of smoke that ho was compelled to retreat. He heard Hogan, who occupied the adjoining room, call out, but he was unable to render aid. His opinion is that the unfortunate young man lost his presence of mind, and,'instead of attempting to get out at the window, strove to make his way downstairs, and was suffocated by the smoke. Reevy tied a blanket to the bedpost, and by this means reached the street. After the fire was partially got under the skeleton of a man horribly burned was found amidst the burning debris, and there is little reason to doubt that it is Hogan. When the Fire Brigade arrived the Superintendent refused to interfere, alleging that his orders were not to act beyond the limits of the city, on account of the action of the Insurance Companies in refusing to make any contribution towards the expenses of the brigade when acting at the late fire nt Mount Eden, which was also beyond the city limits. He regretted to have to act thus, but, under the circumstances, he did not feel justified in doing otherwise, and expressed his willingness to give the Salvage Corps what advice was in his power towards taking steps to suppress the fire. He also allowed tho corps to use a pump belonging to the brigade. The fire spread up the street to Mr Rcvitt's house, which was speedily destroyed, and Mr Neill's houso adjoining was gutted. Mr Slater's residence below tho boarding-house was also gutted. The total damage is stated to be £1500. Hogan arrived hero in tho Doric, and was employed at the Auckland gas works. The insurances on the Parnell fire are— Soutlt'British, £225 on the boarding-house and £150 ou Rcvitt's house; Standard, £100 on Curtiu's furniture ; New Zealand, £50 on Revitfc's furniture ; Colonial, £50 on Biggs' stock; Imperial, £250 on Neal's house and furniture. Neal only re-insured yesterday. It has transpired that during the fire Hogan threw his box out of the window, and evidently met his death in attempting to descend the stairs.

The Te Rahu sawmills, which were burned down ou Sunday morning, were insured with the New Zealand Insurance Company for £300. Masterton, This day.

The Houso of Mr John Harding was burned down this morning. A spark from the kitchen chimney is supposed to have quited the shingles. Three adults and eight children were iv bed at the time, and all were saved oxceptiug a boy of nine years, who was sleeping in an upstairs room, aud whose charred remains were subsequently found. The house was insured for £200 in tho South British office.