AUCKLAND FIRES.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 January 1926, Page 3

AUCKLAND FIRES.

THE RECENT BOMB OUTRAGE

AUCKLAND, January 11

-More than a suspicion prevails in tho city that an incendiarist has been at work during the last nine or ten weeks The local Fire and Accident Underwriters’ Association has come to the conclusion that at least three recent fires can lie traced to wilful causes, and acting on certain evidence offers a reward of £IOO for information leading to a conviction.

During the past live weeks the city fire brigade has been called out on about sixty different occasions, constituting what is probably a record for so short a period. This fact alone would give rise to suspicions, especially when the number of fires in large business premises forms an abnormally high percentage. Ycrv definite evidence, however, has been obtained at the sent of several of the fires and in certain cases the fire brigade, the police and the underwriters’ representative arc unanimous in putting the cause down as incendiarism, ft is presumed that tlie criminal responsible has been at work for nearly two months.

Great difficulty has been experienced by the investigators in reaching a definite conclusion as to the character of their secret adversary, for an analysis of causes fails to produce any satisfactory evidence of uniformity of method. The recent fire in the Government Life Insurance building spread a rumour that a human firebrand bitterly against the Government was wreaking a fiery vengeance upon his pet aversion. Among tho host of fires that broke out in private property, however, this was the only Government building a fleeted.

Of three fires speeificinlly mentioned by the Fire and Accident Underwriters’ Association two have been definitely pronounced the work of ineendiarists by the fire brigade. One was an incipient otubroak in the Hall of Commerce, High Street, on October 29, when a smell of smoke was traced to a box of rubbish found to he oil fire near a trapdoor in the ceiling of the ladies’ lavatory. It is suggested that the box must have been placed in its position between the ceiling and the floor above by an unlawful trespasser. Then there was an outbreak in the City Chambers. Queen Street, on December 31. A suspicious thing about this case was that flames were discovered simultaneously in two cupboards situated one above the other near the lilt well on the first and second floors respectively. It is certain the fires wore started in each clipboard separately and had not spread from, one cupboard to the other. The Underwriters’ Association mentions as its third case fho fire that broke out in Alston Chambers, Queen Street, on January 1. Although these are the only cases *i t*t u«t 11 v uttril»ute«! l»y the nssoeisi tion I to iiKomlinnsni. tin* impression prevails in many quarters that other outbreaks in the past few weeks are due to more than mere accidental causes. The trouble is that something more than suspicion is required to place an outbreak on the list of incendiary eases. A peculiar addition to the eases noted was me unaccountable bomb explosion which occurred in the Rank of Australia Ruilding some weeks ago. Here was an indisputable ease of wilful intent or a malicious practical joke. The infernal machine took the form of a crudely-made bomb, fashioned out of a tea tin and packed with ordinary black powder, scrap iron and lumps of lead. T!:e contraption was left oil the landing of the first I’oor about 9 a.m., and exploded with a deafening crash. Happily no one was in the immediate neighbourhood at: the time, and' the only damage caused was the blackening of the passage wall. Whether this was an act of the same maniac or whether it is to he attributed to some other brainy individual remains yet to