ANOTHER FIRE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4964, 19 February 1877, Page 2

ANOTHER FIRE.

; At half-past nine o’clock last night the Te Aro firebell ga,ve the alarm, and shortly after-' wards'a light ' accompanied by a quantity of smoke was seen in the direction of' a block of buildings belonging to MrV Waring Taylor. - A crowd of people' soon collected there, and it was found that a shed rented, by a Mr. Barnard, and formerly used as a skating rink; was in'flames, the , fire having-taken a firm hold of it. It was first seen from the wharf, which accounts for the fact 'of the flames having made" so much progress by thetime the Te Aro bell was agitated. The Wellington Brigade was promptly on the spot, and soon had the hose connected and the water playing on the fire and making a visible impression. The Centrals a few minutes afterwards ■ came up, and rendered valuable assistance. The house in front of the shed (also the property of Mr. Taylor) was occupied by Mr. Bruce, and the furniture was taken out,-as well as the window sashes in front. At one time there appeared a great chance of Messrs. Mace and Shell’s bottling store taking fire, which it undoubtedly would have done but for the exertions of the fire brigades ; and Mr. George Crawford’s store, oa the opposite side, occupied a critical position. The timber in the shed which caught fire 'was old and very dry, and it burned fiercely ; but there being a good supply of water, the flames were beaten down within a quarter of an hour from the arrival of the, firemen with their appliances. It was a fortunate circumstance that Mr. Bruce’s dwelling-house was not consumed, it being so near the shed in the rear. There are few localities in the city more favorable to the spread of fire than that ,in which the occurrence spoken of took place last night, and the owners of valuable property in stores there have reason to congratulate themselves that they sustained no loss. The fire was confined to the skating rink. There is no knowing how it arose, and as in the case of a great many fires that have occurred, its origin will probably remain a mystery. ,