FIRE TRAGEDY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 June 1938, Page 5

FIRE TRAGEDY

IN SMALL SETTLEMENT NEAR OHAKUNE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN KILLED (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI, June 14. Two young children were burnt to death in a five-roomed house at Rangataua, a small milling settlement just below Ohakune on the Main Trunk line, shortly before 10 o’clock this morning. A baby was rescued from the burning building just in time and the distracted mother, who was frantically trying to get to the assistance of the others, had to be forced back out of danger. Two two who lost their lives were: — Jack Roaill, aged three. Dorthy May Roiall, aged 18 months. Both were children of Mr and Mrs J. Roiall, Rangataua. Their father is employed on bridge work by the Railways Department, and when the tragedy occurred was at work at Waiouru, several miles away down the line.

At about 9.30 a.m. the mother left the house, which is not far from the railway station, to buy knitting wool from a neighbour. She left her four children in the house, a baby aged seven months in its pram in one front room and the other three (Harry, aged six, Jack and Dorothy May) in the other room in the front. There was

a fire in the dining-room, but it was

well screened. As the mother left she saw the three elder children looking out of a front window at a passing train.

Twenty minutes later Miss Noram Francoise, daughter of the Roialls’ next-door neighbours, smelt burning wood and found, on investigation, that the Roialls’ house was well on fire. Smoke and flames were then issuing from under the eaves on the north side. Mrs Francoise was called and the girl rushed away to find Mrs Roiall, whom she had seen going across the road to the neighbour’s house. As she left Noram Francoice saw the eldest boy Roiall outside the house. Mrs Francoise, unable to get into the now blazing building, hurried to call the Ohakune Fire Brigade, which was three miles away. Meanwhile Gordon Francoise, a young lad, hearing the alarm raised by his sister, tried to gain entrance through the front door of the Roialls’ house, but he found the passage thick with smoke and tongues of flame came leaping at him. The minute a draught was created it was impossible for him to proceed further. By this time the mother of the two children who were at the mercy of the fire had arrived. She immediately realised the hopelessness of trying to get to the older children via the passage, but endeavoured to get through the window and reach the baby in its pram. She was in the act of getting into the smoke-filled room, which was then well threatened by flames, when a gang of men from the line arrived. They pulled Mrs Roiall back, and one of them, named Hanroght, a surfaceman, entered the room and, with extreme difficulty, half blinded by smoke, and threatened by flames, gallantly rescued the child. It was then gasping for breath ad could not have lived much longer inside the house.

The whole dwelling became enveloped in flames as Mr Hanroght made his way out, and further attempts at rescue could not be made. When the flames abated the tragic discovery was made of the remains of the two other children. The boy, Jack, evidently in an effort to get through the smoke and fumes, had collapsed behind the back door near the entrance to the bathroom. He had evidently become confused and was endeavouring to leave by the wrong side of the door. The girl’s body was/found half-way between the end of one short passage in the house and the kitchenette. It is not known definitely how the fire occurred, but the surmise is that the children must have been tampering with the fire in the dining-room. It was astounding how quickly the flames gained a hold, as it all happened in the brief space of 20 minutes.