SERIOUS BUSH FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 65, 21 March 1904, Page 2

SERIOUS BUSH FIRES.

DESTRUCTIVE BURNS AROUND MOUNT EG MO NT. SETTLERS' [IOMES BI'UXLSI). inn does, crops, and oi;tBIILDLNUS DESTROYED. The heavy northerly gale Mowing on Friday caused serious disaster throughout the districts lying to the southward of Mount Egmout. Telegraphic communication having been interrupted by the storm the information obtainable as to damage was very meagre. The Star's Manaia correspondent on Saturday wired as follows : AWATt.'NA AND KAPI'NT. Reports reached here this morning ol serious bush lires in the neighbourhood of Awatuna, Te Kiri, and ! Kapuni, but few particulars can at present be got., owing to the fact that telephone aird telegraph wires aiy down along the Kit hum Road. It is said that the lire started in the Mountain Reserve (near Te Kiri mill), and spread with alarmigg rapidity across the Eltham Road and down to the Rama Road. Some settlers near Riverlea were forced to leave their homes ami go in to Kaponga. At Awatuna a house and two sheds belonging to Mr T. Oatenby are reported to be destroyed. The damage in that part of the'disArict is said to be not so serious as that lower down. On the Rama Road several homesteads have gone, and 071 e settler, Mr H. Schmidt," was brought unconscious into Otakeho Mr ami Mrs E. R. Hastie and family had also a trying time. Other families had narrow escapes from suffocation. Cattle suffered severely, and many are said to have been burnt.

AROUND KAPONCIA. The correspondent of the Star at. Knpongu, writing on Friday night, i epoi ted that bush tires were raging round the vicinity of liiverlea and Rowan, and being assisted by a terrific gale of wind were causing a lot of distress and a considerable amount of damage to the fanners Most of them in that vicinity have lost all their grass, and some their stacks, which is a very serious loss to them, as they depend on the over flush of grass in the summer to carry their stock through the winter. Some o! the fanners who had been battling the tire all day came into the township almost blinded with smoke and completely exhausted. It was feared that some of the homesteads were also burnt out. MAIL COACH STOPPED. The writer states '"'l hear the coach is unable to get through to Opuirake, as the bridge over the Ohura river is burned down, and as the banks are very precipitous J exiled the traffic will be stopiud for a considerable time, as they ' are unable to make a ford over'it." ARRIVAL OK WFLCOMK RAIN. heavy rain which fell during Friday iiight came as a Godsend to the stricken settlers, many of whom were exhausted with the battling ugainst their terrible foe. News from 'IV* Kiri, about nine miles from opumike, on the Elthum Road, staled that the. lire raged from 2 a.m. on Priday until 2 a.m. on Saturday. The damage done was considerable. , Other reports state that the fires spread westward, coining around the , extensive .settlements below the radius line toward Oaonui. No details his to damage were available, but it .was stated that the rain had saved ja. serious loss to the people bv stopjjung the spread of the conflagration and all danger is now al an end. I AROUND STRATFORD, j -I he_ Press Association agent at .Stratford telegraphed on Saturday; lesterday an exceedingly strong i nor-west er fanned bush Ii res in the Stratford district. The gale Increasing, homesteads and sawmills were '>« great, danger. Many haystacks weie destroyed. Fortunately rain started in the evening and lasted all j u ght, otherwise there would have been great loss of property.