NARROW ESCAPE FROM A SERIOUS FIRE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5177, 25 October 1877, Page 2

NARROW ESCAPE FROM A SERIOUS FIRE.

What might have proved a very destructive fire was discovered (under somewhat peculiar circumstauces) last evening, and was fortunately extinguished before any but the most trifling damage was done. Had the discovery been made only a few minutes later the probabilities are that the result would have been, very different. At seven o’clock last evening as Detective Darrell was coming down Quin-street, or “ Maori How,” as it is commonly called, he observed through the window a glare of light in the house at the corner of that thoroughfare and Dixou-atreet. The house is in the occupation of Mr. Quin, sen., to whom it as well as the adjoining property belongs. The front room, which was formerly used as a shop, has a small portion partitioned off, and was used as an office by Mr. M. Quin, who is well knownas the secretary of several friendly societies, and is the son of the Mr. Quin before referred to. It was through the window of this office,fronting - on Quin-street, that Mr. Farrell saw the glare. - After knocking at the door and obtaining an entrance (Mr. Quin, senior, and his daughter were not in that part of the building at themoment he knocked, but came there soon afterwards), a lot of papers and documents were found burning on the desk underneath the window, and the floor had also caught fire, but had not made much headway. There was a rug and counterpane in the room, and Mr. Farrell at once applied them to the desk andfloor, and succeeded in smothering the flames, and completely putting them out in a few minutes. To him undoubtedly is due the credit of having stopped what might have been another disastrous fire in our midst. The papers, desk, and floor smelt strongly of kerosene, and some partly burnt letters which the officer picked up and put in his pocket were saturated with kerosene. I hero was no appearance of any lamp having been left burning. Some broken glass, apparently the fragments of an ordinary tumbler, were lying on the floor. How to account for the presence of so much kerosene all over the place seems a a mystery, but may of course be capable of easy explanation. Mr. Quin, senior, and his daughter stated last evening that they were not aware of any kerosene being in the room, which was devoted solely to Mr. Merton Quin’s use, and he had not been there since three o'clock in the afternoon. Before leaving the premises, Mr. Farrell requested that the things in the room where the fire occurred might not be disturbed, but be left as they were until next morning,, so that the agent of the South British Insurance Company might come up and inspect the place, it being stated that the property was insured in that office for £4OO. Some further inquiries will doubtless be made into this somewhat mysterious affair; but whether any further light will be thrownupon the matter remains to be seen.