Story: Rural services

Escaping a fire, 1880s

Escaping a fire, 1880s

An artist’s depiction of fires in Taranaki in the 1880s shows a horse-drawn coach speeding to escape the flames. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, burn-offs on farmland could easily spread, especially during droughts. Until the advent of rural fire services little could be done to control fires.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: Australasian Sketcher, 15 March 1879, p. 200

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Rural services - Welfare and emergency services', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/18577/escaping-a-fire-1880s (accessed 6 May 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 24 Nov 2008