FIRE AT A MAORI WHARE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 181, 3 August 1903, Page 2

FIRE AT A MAORI WHARE.

AN AGED NATIVE HORRIBLY BURNT,

We received a message last night from the Rev. P. A. Bennett to the effact that at abaut 1 o'clock on Sunday afternoon a Maori wharepuni was burnt to the ground at a settlement called Rairau, not far from Sentry Hill and Lepperton, It appears that while Mr and Mrs Ropere, native Evangelists, were visiting the natives near Kairau they noticed, during dinner, a volume of smoke ascending from a Maori hut about half-a-mile off. They rushed to the scene of fire es quickly as it was possihle, but found that the roof had fallen io, and there was no chance of saving anything in the hut. There was only one man and some ohildren visible around the scene. From this man they learnt that an old Maori nnmed Te Rangi Kohuru, between 70 and 80 years of age, was warming himself by a fire in his hut, when by soms means or other the sides of his hut (made of raupo) caught fire. The old man was calling for assistance, and at the. same time doing his best to extinguioh the flames, but the hut was so full of smoke that the old man wan groping about for the door and could not find it. By this time the fire was noticed by To Rxngi Taputu, a nephew of the old nativp, who was just preparing to leave on a journey. He rushed into the hut, and, stooping! down, saw where the old man was, and carried him out, but, unfortunately, the old man was terribly burnt, though still alive. From his loins upwards there is scarcely an inch of ekin that was not burnt, All his beard and hair j was burnt off. Mr Ropere found the j old man in a hut close by, without any | clothing. He was too severely burn l ; to be able to speak. Mr Ropare bo". | his carriage rug and wrapped him up in i*, and sent a lad to try and procure some oil. After a good deal of delay oil was procured. Mr Ropere applied the oil all over the old man's body, and made him as comfortable as possible, j but he fears the sufferer is too severely burnt to get over i*. In the hut wis stored a good deal of seed potatoes and eating potatoes to see thim through the winter, also all their cooking utensils, agricultural impl merits, and all the clothing Te Rangi Kohuru possessed.