A BIG FIRE.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1926, Page 3

A BIG FIRE.

[by TELEGRAPH —rEll rlt Ed. 3 ASSOCIATION.]

AUCKLAND, March 5.

A disastrous lire, resulting in. tlw total 'demolition of seven buildings near the waterfront, occurred at Koliukohu, on Hokianga. Harbour, late last night.. The fire, which burned for five hours, destroyed a section of tho telegraph and telephone fines, and although the service was partly restored this afternoon, great difficulty was experienced last- evening in communicating with Kohukohu, which is over 150 miles from Auckland.

Krom the meagre information available. it was gathered that the fire broke out at, eleven o’clock last night, presumably in tins premises of Messrs (oo)K'r ami Son, storekeepers. Although the night was very calm, the lire blazed wth great vigour, and spread aP ran amazing rate. The town do?.* not possess a witter reticulation service, and there is no lire brigade, hut the residents turned out in full forte and a bucket brigade was organised and water was obtained from the harbour near l>v which was poured on the blazing buildings. This, however, had !iule eil'ect on the fire, which in turn destroyed tli: Bank of New South Wales, and premises, the public. Library, the Courthou.se. Mrs Slid lord’.* tea and dining, rooms, and an old hall used a* a sample room and a hack building. Tho fire burned for several hours and threatened to make a clean sweep of that portion of the town. Fortunately a. vacant .section betwoeu the tea rooms and the North Auckland Farmer*’ l o-op. Company’s brick building arrested the fire at about .'i o'clock thi* morning. and by l o'clock il had almost-burned itself out. Most of the ow iv.'i's and occupier* of the buildings destroyed were heavy losers, although .son?" of the contents were saved. A quantity ol hooks and oilier effects were saved from the Bank buildings, and some ol the furniture from the lea rooms was removed Before the liaines had taken a strong hold, but from what eoujd lie gathered over the telephone la*t. evening, not much of the stock in Cooper’s store was .salvaged.

It is also understood that nothing was saved from the Courthouse.

While the men va'.to lighting the lire and removing as much of the contents of the buildings as possible, tho women formed t heniseleos into a .salvagi.- brigade, and saved the entire collection of hooks from the library building.

The courthouse was a very old building, erected in the days when Kobuliuhti was a busy centre ol the -sawni 11 ing industry, hut it is .stated to ie practically abandolv.'d. as most of die Court work of the district is now allied out at Rttweno.

The sample room was formerly a Ala tonic Hall.

The fire worked from south to north, and earlv in the (niillagrntioii, three? telegraph poles on the- south side were hurtled through, bringing down all the wires. All communication with southern points was thus cut oil. and il was not until nearly noon to-day that. 1 1«• service was sufficiently restored to communicate with Kaitoke. Grave fears were entertained at one stage during the night that, a large sawmill eln*e to the scene ol the fire would be destroyed, hut. this was saved largely as the result of the efforts of the volunteer lighters. No esfinm.to of the extent, of the damage was available this morning, lnit it was stated that most of the risk was held in the New Zealand Insurance Company.

The Bank of New South Wales resumed httsin.'-ss this morning in it building placed at the disjm.'ul of the management by the branch of the Rank- of New Zealand.