Fire in Auckland—Man Suffocated.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5003, 24 January 1885, Page 3

Fire in Auckland—Man Suffocated.

(Pm Pbess Association.)

Auckland, Thii day. At midnight a fire broke out in EHio; ltre«t, on the upper floor in a two-storey block of buildings leased by Mackinlay, «sn writer, from David Kewn, residing at "Wellington. The ground floor-on.thi' lorthern division was used by Mackinlay m a workshop, and tbe upper floor was partly used by Davis, saddler, as a workshop, and also used as a workshop by M r J. B. Holmes, scenic artist cf the Optra House, who slept in the front room. The Fire Brigade soon extinguished the flames. At Mr Holmes was known to sleep in the upper storey, and had not been seen about, . l tearch was made upstairs, when the nude body of the poor old man was found lying on its back, the akin having peeled eff iv lections, though the body was not scorched or burnt. An examination of the premises went to show that Holmes had probably been reading in bed, and had fallen asleep, leaving the candle lighted, as some charred magazines-^ were found near his pillow. -*VWnen aronsed by fire, he had evidently ' taade his way to the back room instead of the staircase; with his trousers in his band (as they, were found in his clenched grasp), when he was overcome by the smoke and suffocated.