THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9056, 15 February 1908, Page 5

THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRES.

AN ARREST MADE,

BY TELEGRAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, February 14. The city's experience last night leaves no room for doubt that incendiarists are at work in Christchurch. The fact that six fires so closely resembling one another in general character should occur in one evening is strong evidence of the fact, but the evidence collected by the police and the fire brigade go further still. In the case of the "Press" office fire traces of kerosene were found amongst the rubbish in which the outbreak occurred. A man was seen running away from V. Harris' premises just as the fire was first noticed. No one went in pursuit, the only observer, an employee of the United Service Hotel, being more intent in giving the alarm. A man was seen rummaging among the rubbish at the back of the A 1 Hotel by Andrew's shops just before an outbreak of fire was discovered there. He also made off. It is stated that one of the men suspected in connection with the outbreak —a half-caste negro—was seen in the vicinity immediately before four of the six fires.

This morning the half-caste was detained by the police pending an investigation of all the circumstances, and a search is being made for the mate for the man or men with whom he has been associated. The suspected man is understood to hail from Wellington, but has been in Canterbury for some time.

The police are disposed to regard the acts of incendiarism as stupid jokes rather than as serious attempts to start big fires. The outbreaks they point out, occurred in every case in rubbish boxes, and were not at all likely to constitute any very grave danger to the adjoining premises. A little effort sufficed to extinguish the flames last night. However, they warned the proprietors of hotels in the city to keep a watchful eye on such danger-points as open jiards and right-of-ways. The fire brigade men take a more serious view of the position. "It is no joke to the brigade," said Superintendent Smith to a "Star" reporter this morning. "We have be a n kept on the jump ever since the big fire; and you have to remember that we have only two permanent men. The rest are volunteers. I have two men working all the time repairing hose and last night the firemen got very little rest at all. The people who insist on keeping their rubbish exposed are as much to blame as anyone."