FIRE AT KUROW.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1219, 13 March 1880, Page 2

FIRE AT KUROW.

'; The.Bridge Hotel at the Kurow, in the occupatipn of Mr. P. Mason, was entirelydestroyed by fire about half-past ten o'clock, on Thursday night. The particulars of the affair, so far as we have been able to gather, are : The inmates of the house, to.the'number of eight, .retired, to .bed about ten o'clock, and were shortly .afterwards aroused by some; neighbors Igiving'the! alarm, of fire. The fife had 'then got a firm hold of the building, :which; being of wood, burned furiously, ithe whole structure being levelled to the ■ground in less than an hour. The inmates ;had barely time to get out of the house ;safely, and there was no time to save any -of its "contents. The origin of the fire, is, ;,of course, a mystery, and the. only explanation that can be given of it is that jthe high wind prevailing at the time must ;have forced open the window of the kitchen.and blown some of the burning lignite embers upon the flobr. This supposition is strengthened by the feet that the fire originated in tho kitohen. The '; building was, we believe, the property of | Messrs. Lintott and Otterson, and' the ; building and its contents were covered by ; insurance in the South British Company ; to the extent of L6OO, L 250 of which was reinsured in the Colonial Company.