Hastings blaze: Woman charged with arson over Flaxmere house fire

The home was significantly damaged in the blaze on Monday. Photo / Paul Taylor

A woman has been charged with arson and remanded in custody after a Flaxmere home was gutted in a fire on Monday.

Firefighters were called just after 8am on Monday to a blaze at a home on Ardrossan Ave in the Hastings suburb of Flaxmere.

Hastings Fire Station senior station officer Mike Peachey said the residents who lived at the address were not home when firefighters arrived, and no one was injured.

Firefighters put the fire out in about an hour and two fire trucks attended.

No one was injured during the house fire. Photo / Paul Taylor

A police spokesperson said - following the fire - a woman was “assisting police with our inquiries” in relation to the suspicious blaze.

A 35-year-old woman has since been remanded in custody on charges of arson and is due to reappear in the Hastings District Court next month.

A neighbouring unit was not damaged by the fire on Monday, but occupants living inside that home evacuated due to the smoke.

There have been a concerning number of building fires in Hawke’s Bay of late, including 28 recorded in the month to August 28.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.