DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 1013, 17 December 1881, Page 2

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

£3,000 Worth of Property Destroyed. At quarter past three this morning a most destructive fire broke out and consumed two large stores and dwell-ing-house in Upper Symonds-street. It originated in a shed in the occupation of Mr. Tyre, late Bobertson Bros., and from thence communicated with the store, which has only lately been re-built with brick frontage, occupied by Mr. Gilmour, draper. This building was in a few minutes one mass of flames, and it was with difficulty that the occupants—Mr and Mrs Gilmour—escaped with little more than their night-dresses. The intense heat from this building speedily ignited the store of Mr Tyre, late Bobertson Bros., which is a large wooden building of two stories, and of fourteen years' standing.

The brigade under Superintendent Hughes, also the Salvage Corps under Captain Butler, together with a large body of police, arrived on the scene about 35 minutes after the first alarm, but the buildings being on the high level, the water was with great difficulty thrown from a small jet, but all chance of saving both these large stores was unavailing. Their attention was therefore directed to a cottage south of Mr Gilmour’s, occupied by Mr Lincoln as a dwelling-house. This gentleman had fortunately removed all his furniture, and this saved him considerable loss, as he was uninsured. A quantity of stock was removed from both stores, by the many willing hands who risked their lives by entering the buildings while in flames. When the flames were at their highest, considerable fear was entertained that the fire would spread from Mr Lincoln’s to a new shop now in erection, and had it done so the Queen’s Hotel must certainly have been consumed • and great praise is due to the Fire Brigade.for the manner in which they worked.