An Arrested Fire.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2076, 8 February 1898, Page 2

An Arrested Fire.

Yesterday morning, what might have proved a disastrous outbreak of fire was arrested by the promptitude of Mr O’Meagher, of the Family Hotel. It appears that at half-past ten o’clock Mrs McCord, the proprietress'of the old Family Hotel boardinghouse, found the wash-house on fire, and immediately raised an alarm. In appealing to Mr O’Meagher, of the now well-known hotel at the corner ofWhitaker and Rolleston streets, Mr McCord did not appeal in vain. That gentleman promptly proceeded to the scene, and directed a by-stander to mount the roof, where the individual indicated at once seoured a precarious footing commanding the inoipient conflagration. To him were handed buokets of soap-suds, drawn from a convenient tub. After a sharp engagement with the devouring element, Mr O’Meagher had the satisfaction of announcing that danger was at an end, and the crowd breathed freely. A brief investigations revealed the fact that the scrim in the wash-house in which the fire had originated had in the usual ‘somehow or otKoi ’ caught fire, and the flames rapidly spreading, a blaze, which would have involved the destruction of the house had it not been extinguished in its incipient stage, started. ’ 1