Old cop shop burns again

ABLAZE: Fire broke out on the first floor of the former Gisborne Police Station last night and the Herald understands it appears to have been started by a camp oven used by a homeless person living there. Picture supplied

Fire broke out on the first floor of the former police station building in Peel Street last night and it appears to have been started by a cooking fire.

Multiple 111 calls about the blaze came in to Fire and Emergency NZ just before 7pm.

“The fire was going quite well when we arrived,” a senior firefighter said.

It originated in a room in the southern corner of the building on the Peel Street side.

“When we arrived we made a check of the building to make sure there was no one inside, and there wasn't.

“But it was clear that someone had been squatting in the room where the fire started.”

FENZ sent four appliances to the scene.

“We were there for a couple of hours making sure the fire was out,” the senior firefighter said.

Fire investigators were to look into how the fire got started.

The Gisborne Herald has been told it looked to have been started by a camp oven used by someone living in the building.

There was a fire in the top storey of the building in June last year, again caused by the actions of the homeless people living there.

On that occasion the fire started in a mattress.

The owners of the building, Rongawhakaata Iwi Trust, have been contacted this morning for comment about the incident.