DISASTROUS FIRE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8536, 17 September 1907, Page 5

DISASTROUS FIRE.

OVER FFfTY BUILDINGS DESTROYED. MANY PEOPLE HOMELESS. Received September 16, 3.5 p.m. 4 SYDNEY, September 16. A big fire has occurred at Murwillumbah. A large portion of the main street -was destroyed. Over fifty residences and places of business have been burned, including four banks. Many people are homeless. (Murwillumbah is a town 407 miles north of Sydney.) TOWN A BLAZING MASS. NO WATER SUPPLY. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £IOO,OOO. Received September 16, 11.21 p.m. SYDNEY, September 16. The picturesque .town of Murwillumbah, on the banks of the Tweed River, was devastated by fire last xright. . , , a The fire began in a bakery, and. under the influence of a strong westerly wind, swept everything in its The whole town appeared to be a blazing mass. There was no water supply, and • the fire-fighting appliances were inadequate. ■* The people only looked on, nelp-Pifty-nine buildings were burned, including the Courthouse, School of Arts, and four banks. Many of the shops in the town ■were built of wood. The Post and Telegraph Office caught fire, but was ultimately saved. Fighting amidst the scorching flames, the inhabitants worked like heroes, but so rapid was the fire that their efforts for the most part were t* useless. Many families are homeless. The police have received a wire estimating the damage at £IOO,OOO.