‘Arson’ investigated as cause of early-morning house fires
Two empty homes have been destroyed in suspicious fires overnight and an investigation is under way into how they started.
Fire and Emergency NZ was called to the blaze on Denbigh St in Feilding at about 1.50am yesterday.
Two engines from the Feilding Station attended and found the single-level dwelling wellengulfed on arrival.
A second alarm was activated and fire crews called police, believing the fire was suspicious.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told Stuff the house had been vacant for a number of years and was a hotspot for unusual activity.
They said this was the third time a fire had been started at the property in a matter of weeks.
They were alerted to yesterday’s fire by members of the public who had banged on their windows in order to rouse them. By that time the blaze had engulfed the next-door home.
‘‘I was dead-asleep when I woke to a man standing at my window, which gave me an awful fright before I realised he was trying to get us out of danger.’’
They were unable to escape to the street and took shelter in their backyard until fire crews contained the blaze.
Their property suffered extensive damage to its windows and guttering, and they were unable to save two cars parked in the driveway.
Another neighbour said she was woken by a security-camera alert on her phone and evacuated with her son to a neighbour’s home.
She watched as her husband used a garden hose to dampen down their fence line until emergency services arrived.
She said two previous fires were started at the property in the weeks leading up to the blaze.
A police spokesperson said they were called to the scene of the fire under suspicion of arson.
Police remained at the house yesterday morning guarding the
‘‘I was dead-asleep when I woke to a man standing at my window, which gave me an awful fright ...’’ Neighbour
scene.
Another suspicious house fire was also reported shortly after 2am in Marton.
Crews were called to an abandoned home on Makirikiri Rd.
The Marton Fire Station responded and found the house well-ablaze on arrival.
Fire crews were at the scene yesterday morning dampening down hot spots.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said because the property was vacant the fire was being treated as suspicious.
A police spokesperson said police were called to the fire about 2.25am and staff were on site guarding the scene.
There would be an investigation into both fires.