FEARFUL EIRE AT BOORHANPORE IN INDIA.

Southland Times, Issue 1054, 9 November 1868, Page 3

FEARFUL EIRE AT BOORHANPORE IN INDIA.

POUB THOUSAND HOUSES DESTBOYED, ' AND SEVEN HUNDRED LIVES LOST. A correspondent of the Nagpore • Observer,' of June 10th, sends an account of the recent dreadful fire which has almost made a ruin of this once fine and prosperous town. The following are the particulars — " On the 30th ult., at noon, a terrible fire broke out in the Itwarra Manilla. This is a densely populated quarter of the town, and is, moreover, chiefly inhabited by opulent classes of the bora caste, and other most respectable Hindoos. The flames rapidly spread over the whole of the Manilla. Nothing could resist the hungry element. The houses of the town seemed to catch 'fire 7 by sympathy, for they became apparently all ignited at once. I never witnessed so dreadful a scene. The sky

was red at noonday with the flames. The fire has caused immense loss of properfcv, and worse still of human life. It has been ascertained that seven hun■dred iiuman beings have perished in the ■ flames. There is nothing but weeping . and wailing in the town. People 1 are i looking for their relatives and friends j • but they can't find them, for they have be-n cabined to ashes, ft is estimated i that twenty lacs of rupees worth of pro- . perty has been destroyed. The police deserve our thanks for their great exertion. They not only exerted themselves • energetically to extinguish the fire, but also kept a careful watch over the property secured from the burning houses. ; The conduct of the police was most admirable on that sad occasion, and ' having myself been a spectator of their conduct I can justly add tribute of my I humble commendation. Nothing, could exceed their dauntless bravery. They • rushed fearlessly into the flames and : dragged out burning boxes. They also plunged into the blazing houses and snatched out men, women and children, who would otherwise have either been consumed by the flames or smothered by the smoke. A melancholy circumstance connected with this terrible fire is worthy of notice. An opulent merchant succeeded in rescuing several bags of rupees, containing on the whole 40,000 : but upon his re-entering his house in order to recover more, the burning roof fell upon him, and he was buried under the fiery ruins of his own residence. It is calculated that at least 4000 houses have been destroyed."