FIRE'S TOLL OF STOCK

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 261, 25 January 1928, Page 1

FIRE'S TOLL OF STOCK

SERIOUS LOSS TO SETTLERS OUTBREAKS DOT COUNTRY COUTH of Auckland the country is dotted with dozens of , bush or scrub fires, many of which have done serious damage.

JN several area 3 the residents have been continually on guard for several days. Numerous sheep have perished and another house has been added to the list of those destroyed. Fences have been burned, and many acres of fine bush have been ruined. At Woodleigh, 26 miles to the west °f Rangiriri, hundreds of acres have been burnt off in the hilly sheep country, a house belong to Mr. G. llannering has been destroyed, and a considerable number of sheep have been burned to death. Fire breaks have been made and stock are being kept as far away as possible. The Woodleigh Road had been blpcked by falling timber, but has been cleared. The fire on the Kaukapakapa hills has continued for several days, and yesterday required desperate efforts to save the residences in the Waikohu Valley. The fire has covered ten miles of country, destroying pasture, bush and scrub. At Orini the road has been threa£ened by peat fires, but the danger has been staved off by blocking a drain and flooding the area. MOVING STOCK FROM FLAMES Considerable damage has been done to fences and pastures in the Alfriston district during the last couple of days by fires which have been raging there, and many hours of hard work have been put in by the settlers in trying to combat the spread of the flames. Areas over Hood’s, Kendall's and Colley’s properties have been swept and at present the fire is spreading on to Coxhead’s land. TJp to the present no loss of stock has been reported, and the farmers in the line of the fire are busily engaged in moving stock to the front of their holdings, where they are practically safe. Scrub-and grass fires are raging on much of the land between Papatoetoe, Howick, Wiri and Whitford, and tbe dense volume of smoke makes travelling on some of the roads very uncomfortable. FIRE CONSUMES FEED - At Te Kawa a large area of flax belonging to Mr. C. S. McLean has been destroyed. Fire has also destroyed a great deal of rough feed on Messrs. Clements’s and Henderson’s properties. Word comes that other farmers in the district have also suffered, and unless rain comes soon it will be necessary to feed the cattle on hay and ensilage, which is saved for use in the winter months. The cows have for some time been giving less milk, until now the average supply to dairy factories is less than half the usual supply at this time of the year. Milk cheques on February 20 will thus be far below normal. ANOTHER AT ONEHUNGA After having had a hard fight yesterday to save the fellmongery cf Lichenstein and Company, Alfred Street, the Onehunga Fire Brigade was again called out at 1 o’clock this morning to suppress a second grass fire on the same property. On this occasion the fire broke out on the area fronting Neilson Street, some distance from Lichenstein’s building, but as everything of an inflammable nature on the surface is just now as dry as tinder, the fire would have assuredly spread toward the houses in Neilson Street, but fbr the prompt action of the brigade. As it happened, no serious damage was done.

NEW LYNN FIRES TOWN BOARD TAKES ACTION Three houses have been destroyed by fire in J;he New Lynn district within the last week-end, and there have been several scrub outbreaks. Reporting to the New Lynn Town

Board last evening, Mr. W. Thomas, the building inspector, said that he considered Mrs. Edie's house might have been saved if the Point Chevalier Brigade had gone to the Great North Road instead of turning hack. He suggested that it would be politic for the board to open up negotiations with the Fire Board, as suggested by Mr. Wilson, superintendent, when recently in New Lynn. ‘ He (the inspector) understood that the Avondale Volunteer Brigade would soon pass out of existence. Mr. Thomas advised that he had taken steps to make the fire-plugs more visible. He recommended that the indicators should be repainted. The report was adopted. The Mount Eden brigade was called out at 12.30 p.m. to-day to a grass fire in Atherton Road, where several houses were threafened by the flames. After a hard fight the fire was extinguished. • BIG GARAGE SAVED The third grass fire to break out in Onehunga to-day occurred at 2 o'clock. It threatened the big motor garage of Cunningham and Company and other valuable property in Lower Queen Street. But for the timely arrival of the Onehunga Fire Brigade the garage would have caught fire, and perhaps several thousands of pounds" worth of motor-cars and lorries would have been destroyed. The brigade did good work in extinguishing the blaze, which had a good hold. There is a theory prevalent in Onehunga that the grass fires are being caused by the action of the sun’s rays on glass and Broken bottles. The country is like tinder and catches alight very easily. FLAXMILL THREATENED (From Our Own Correspondent) WHANGAREI, To-day. Harrison’s old flaxmill in Morningside Road caught fire at 11.45 yesterday evening.. The fire was first seen by Mrs. W. Hambury, who lives on the hill opposite, and she informed Me Scott, her neighbour, just in time for him to rescue his car from the building, part of which is used as a garage. The brigade prevented serious damage. HOUSES ENDANGERED Another grass fire threatened a row of houses in Moata Road, Onehunga, to-day. The Onehunga Fire Brigade received the call at 12.30 and extinguished the outbreak before any damage was done.