SERIOUS FIRE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1931, Page 4

SERIOUS FIRE

A PLANTATION LOST. (By Telegraph—Press Association) . CHRISTCHURCH, January (5. A serious fire broke out this afternoon in the lupins on the sand hills near Bottle Lake, and: it spread to the Hospital Board’s pine plantations. Fanned by a heavy north-west wind, the fire threatened to spread over a wide front in the pine plantations. The lupins, gorse and other inflammable growth is all now’ very dry. There w r as the danger of the destruction of property and also some danger to parts of the seaside suburb of New Brighton. The Infectious Disease Hospital, at Bottle Lake was early in danger, but, though branches of the fire spread almost to the walls of the hospital buildings, the fire passed without doin" any damage.

The hospital staff quickly removed the patients to a place of safety, and preparations were made for the salvaging of everything movable. There are about 150 acres on the Hospital Board’s pine plantation, the trees ranging in age from sixteen to two years old. All these acres are being burnt out. Not far away, hut safe for the present, is a much larger area of 1800 acres, which was planted in pines by the City Council. The fire burned fiercely-until ten o’clock to-night when its progress was arrested toy a belt of green alderberry growing wild among the lupins and worse. The only damage done was to the trees and to some fencing. It is estimated; the total damage will he from eight to ten thousand pounds.