Fire at Pohangina

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 82, 4 January 1890, Page 2

Fire at Pohangina

■ Early yesterday: morning ithe dwelling.house of Mr James R) AndersOh, at Pohangina, was burneuj to the ground, and the whole Jof the contents were also destroyed. .It appears ; 'that- between 12 and I o'clock Mr and Mrs Anderson were vs. woke, fi-om their sleep by the roaring of the flames and .-'the J crackling- of the burning timber/ Their 'younger son was'also asleep, and their first care was naturally for him, whom they Jmanaged to save as by a miracle, •themselves. being nearly, sufiocated 'while ;'. doing so, and they bad no sooner . snatched him out of his bed than it caught J fire. .;By this time the flames had..got.--iiillv'h6i.dv:'.qf-,the'.buildmg,. and it was impossible JtoJ save ■ anything. The house was~ a substaritial Jbne of six rooms, well J finished x J and- furnished throughout. '- It Vcoiitained also a good sbock of valuable bedding, clothing, books, pictures, guns, sowing machine,: &c, besides a .large'-, .quantity' .of' stores, all of. • whim were' destroyed. As to .ho w; the fire originated, or in' what -part of the premises, there is not the slightest clue; There had been no bush or anything else burning near^ and -the night before everything had been left as usual. The house, furniture, bedding,. and some of the .other, contents were insured in the Equitable office for £150, but this was' considerably _. under their actual value, while very many of the conten ts were hot insured.. There is no other dwelling within about 4 miles of the spot, and the. : only refuge for the family ns a small outbuilding, which fortunately, though very narrowly, escaped destruction. "