Mount Maunganui building fire thought to be ‘suspicious’ - police

Fire crews from Tauranga, Greerton and Mount Maunganui attended a small fire at a Maunganui Rd building last night.

The cause of a fire inside a Mount Maunganui building is believed to be suspicious, while the likely cause of a “well-involved” blaze at a home in Te Kaka is unknown.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) shift manager said three fire crews from Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and Greerton stations attended a small fire inside the Mount building and arrived on the scene about 10.35pm yesterday. The fire was extinguished by 11.04pm.

A police spokeswoman said police attended a Maunganui Rd address alongside a Fenz fire investigator and enquiries were ongoing.

“Indications are, at this stage, that the fire is suspicious.”

The shift manager said the cause of the fire was being investigated by a Fenz fire risk investigator.

Meanwhile, there was a house fire in Te Kaha in the Ōpōtiki district which was reported to Fenz at 10.53pm yesterday.

The shift manager said fire crews from Waihau Bay and Ōpōtiki stations responded and the fire was “well-involved” when firefighters arrived, but there were no details available about the likely cause of the blaze.

She said there were no reports that any of the occupants had been injured.

Today, police and emergency service staff were notified of a crash involving two vehicles on Waihī Rd in Judea about 10am, but there were no reports of injuries, according to a Fenz spokesman.