PALMERSTON NORTH FIRES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4520, 21 October 1930, Page 3

PALMERSTON NORTH FIRES.

ELDERLY MAN SUCCUMBS

■Fatal results unfortunately attended a lire which occurred at Palmerston North in tlie early hours of: Sunday morning when the residence of Mr. William Mitchell, 222 Rualiine Street, was practically destroyed. Air. Mitchell lost bis life in an attempt to save something after lie bad been awakened and had left the burning building. As fur as can be ascertained, Hie lire must have started in the silting room, which was ,situated n--1 jout the centre, of the house. The occupants—deceased, his two daughters, Misses Agnes and Nellie Mitchell, and Nurse Daniels— Imd retired to bed. About 12.45 Miss Agnes Mitchell, who was sleeping in one of the hack rooms, Avas awakened by crackling noises, and discovering the house on fire, aroused the other inmates who all left the burning building safely. The alarm avas then forwarded to the fire brigade by street box. ■Shortly, aftenvairds it Avas discovered that Air. Mitchell had gone back into the house for some reason or other. ’The brigade had just arrived on Hie scene and a search of deceased’s bedroom anil the . other (rooms on the same side which the flames had not as yet reached, failed to disclose his whereabouts. When the outbreak was sufficiently quelled to enable tin* front bedroom to be entered, deceased was found sitting alongside one of the beds, dead, having died either from suffocation or shock. BUS ON FIRE. A serious fire with perhaps loss of life, 'was narrowly averted just before 9 a.m. on •Sunday evening

when a sixteen-passenger ’bus, Avitli six passengers seated behind tin.* Hosed doors, suddenly burst into Homes in the A aril service station, opposite the Palmerston N. railway station. Tt appears that the vehicle, the property of Afr. L. TTalrris, of Danneviiko, and used as a service run was being tilled with benzine when the attendant accidentally poured some of (lie benzine on to tlie warm engine where lire mixture vaporised and in a Hash, the front of the ’lms was a mass of (lames that quickly worked into the inferior. An aulumatic extinguisher was hurriedly brought into action, while the passengers Avere not long in leaving the suffocating interior. The extinguisher was exhausted before the lire was quelled and, with the llames gaining in intensity, the ’bus was pushed on to Hie roadway. The Palmerston North Fire Brigade* was hurriedly summoned, hut did not have Hie llames under control before the vehicle had suffered extensively.