NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 September 1911, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

On Thursday evening last the KaiDara Hotel had a very narrow escape from being destroyed by fire. It appears that about 10 o'clock a boarder went to his room preperatoiy to going to bed, and after, lighting the candle went into the adjoining room leaving his dbor open, a high wind was blowing and the window being open the curtain must have blown into the candle flame and caught alight, in turn setting" fire to the ./drapings of the wardrobe and the bedding before it was discovered by another lodger who gave the alarm; the fire had aheady been seen from outside where the cry had also been raieed, i A number were soon on the scene, the room boing all in a blaze, when UK MoEwin, seized one of the fire; extinguishers which are hung throughout the' passages of the hotel, and wiih great presence of mind dashed the contents on the flames and round the room, which,had the affect of considerably retarding it, and with the help oi buckets of. water which "were' quickly; procured the fire was

av«r^d;( | Had the room been papered WnJ^PHflftdy instead of plain painted ."iMj^^pwjails,- the Kaipara Hotel wtiji Save'been a mass of ashes, and vfery^jjrobablj other buildings would havegotie with. it. The damage done in tkexoom was sufficient to give an idea of the narrow escape, for besides the curtains and blind, the wardrobe curtain and clothes, mattress and bedding that were considerably burnt, the walls and ceiling were much charei. The extinguisher which certainly saved the situation is called " Kil Fire," and is a fino powder in a long tube. If the flames had once got through the ceiling even the " Kil Fire " would not have been of much use and Helensvillfi citizens would have had to be content to watch one of the. largest buildings in the town quietly burn away for the want of a proper . "water supply and fire appliances. This warning almost on the eve of a poll to borrow money for a watersupply should help those at present averse to the, proposal to vote foi it, as they would then have pressure enough to carry several jets of water over the highest of our buildings.