HOUSE BURNT

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1929, Page 5

HOUSE BURNT

SOME REMARKABLE ESCAPES,

By Telegraph—Per Press Associatioi

AUCKLAND. April 29.

Awakened by the crying of. a nine-weeks-old baby, twelve persons experienced a remarkable escape from a blazing boardinghouse in Wellesley Street west at four o'clock on Sunday morning. The house, a two-storied building o| seven rooms, was occupied by Mr and Mrs W. Agnew, and three young children, Mr and Mrs J. P. Walsh and their baby and four men boarders. All slept upstairs except Mr Agnew.

Walsh was awakened by a child screaming and found the upstairs passageways full of smoke and the roar of flames could be heard distinctly. Although almost overcome by smoke, Walsh roused his wife and gave the alarm to the others, who were all sleeping soundly.

The lower part of the house was now burning fiercely, the flames undermining the stairway. Mrs Agnew struggled downstairs with her children and helped by her husband reached safety without injury. Two men boarders climbed through an upstairs window to an a Hey way separating the burning house from the next building. One man jumped eighteen feet to the ground and the other jumped across the alleyway to the roof of the opposite house, reaching ground safely. Two other men climbed through a bedroom window to the roof of the front verandah and jumped on to the grass fifteen feet below. Agnew was unable to find the man who jumped to the next door roof and attempted to re-enter the house to search, but was driven back by the flames.

When the brigade arrived all the occupants were gathered on the roadway in their night attire, nothing being saved hut Mr Agnew’s purse and a child’s perambulator. All were given shelter by a neighbour. The brigade prevented damage to the next bouse except for charred woodwork. The contents were insured for £2OO.