CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 241, 17 February 1911, Page 5

CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH

BEFOKii THEIR PARENTS' EYES. AN AWFUL AFFAIR AT AUCKLAND. B> Teiegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Thursday. A fire in Ponsonby about 2 o'clock this morning in a fish shop and dwelling occupied by Purteons resulted in the death of two of Porteous' children, a boy and a girl, while two men, two women, and a boy were badly burnea about the feet and body. The building was a two-storey one, the upper store) being used as a dwelling by Porteous and his family. The fire had so strong a hold when Porteous awoke, that though every effort was made by himself and family, they failed to get the children out of the burning building) alive. Porteous carried his two children on to the verandah, which was made of corrugated iron, and which by this time was red hot While attempting to save them he let them fall on to the verandah, and they both died from their injuries. One was dead before the members of the Fire Brigade could reach the verandah; the other, who was taken from the verandah by the members of the brigade, died immediately afterwards. All the other inmates of the house—Mrs. Porteous, a boy, and two relatives—were badly burned and were taken to the hospital. The fire spread to an adjoining building occupied by Miss Blomlield, milliner, but the Fire Brigade succeeded in saving this building.

A subsequent message states that the building destroyed was occupied by the two families of Charles Porteous ana his brother-in-law, Bert Mountford. The Are broke out shortly after 1 o'clock. The inmates were awakened by a loud explosion, and made a frantic rush for windows of the front room over the verandah. Flames were belching from the lower windows, and the iron roof ol the verandah was red hot. There were in the bulding Mr. and Mrs. Porteous, Mr. and Mrs. Mountford, three Porteous children, aged eight, seven and five years, and a nephew, Philip Ward, aged twelve. The three boys, who were in the one room, got out of the front window. Arthur, aged Ave, must have fallen when crossing the verandah, and was so injured that he could not get up again. His father saw him and made a frantic but ineffectual attempt to reach him. Meantime, the girl Hetty, aged seven, also fell down on the red hot roof. Her father and uncle strove to reach her, but unavailingly, and the two children were roasted to death before the eyes of their parents and a large crowd of spectators. The father and uncle were both badly burned. Porteous' feet were burned to the bone, and he fell unconscious in fearful agony. Mrs. Porteous also fell on the roasting iron, and her hands and feet were badly burned. She was rescued by Mountford, who was also frightfuly burned. Porteous and hi* wife and Philip Ward were taken to a private hospital. Mrs. Porteous is in a critical state, and her husband, is in a state of collapse. Mountford and his wife were sent to the public hospital.