PLANTATION MENACED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 60, 3 December 1937, Page 5

PLANTATION MENACED

Our Own Correspondent.)

Scrub Fire at Whakatane BATTLE AGAINST FLAMES

(From

WHAKATANE, Last Night. For nearly four hours yesterday afternoon 80 men fought aud finally subdued a scrub fire which threatened to spread to the Whakatane Paper Mills plantations at Matahina. It appears that workmen engaged in the construction of a new sawmill fired scrub to clear the land for the erection of cottages. Fanned by a strong southwesterly wind, the fire swept through tawa bush and spread to fern and scrub country in the vicinity of the plantations, The paper mills office at Whakatane was notifled of the danger, aud all available men, including Mr H, A. Horrocks, managing-director, Mr Brown, secretary, and the male members of the office staff, were rushed to the scene of the outbreak. The fire was burning on a wide front iu the direction of the latest planted-areas when they reached Matahina, and a start was made to construct fire-breaks, aided by the company'a large bulldozer traetor. So strong was the wind that several times the fire swept across the breaka and the men had a strenuous time beating out the flames. Just before five o'elock the wind lulled and the efforts of the men were successful in isolating the blaze, when it had reached within a quarter of a mile of the plantations. It is estimated that the fire burnt out 1000 acres, mostly the unplanted area of the compauy's property.