Suspicious fire destroys home, kills pet
Three occupants escaped a suspicious fire in their home, but their pet dog died in the blaze.
A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the fire in Gladstone Rd, Richmond, which was reported at 12.20am on Saturday. Police said he handed himself in to the Richmond station shortly after police arrived.
He appeared in the Nelson District Court on Saturday charged with arson.
Police said three people were in the house, which is on the main road between Richmond and Hope, at the time of the blaze but all managed to escape without injury.
The occupants did not want to talk at the scene on Saturday morning, but said the house had smoke alarms and they had all got out okay.
They were distressed at losing their pet dog, which they described as a ‘‘beloved family member’’.
Senior Sergeant Blair Hall said the Nelson Criminal Investigation Branch and a fire investigator examined the scene at the week- end. ‘‘The house has received extensive damage in the blaze that quickly took hold. Some minor damage has been caused to the neighbouring properties due to the intensity of the fire,’’ Hall said in a statement.
Richmond fire chief Craig Piner said the fire took about an hour to extinguish, with appliances from Richmond, Stoke, Nelson, and Wakefield attending. ‘‘It was quite a large fire when we got here, ’’ he said.