Police investigate suspicious fire in Wairoa

Police are investigating a suspicious shed fire in Wairoa this morning. Photo/File

A suspicious shed fire in Wairoa is being investigated after firefighters discovered the blaze on their way back from another job this morning.

A Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade appliance was returning from a small veranda fire in Ruakituri when smoke was seen coming from a property on Mahia Ave at 3.36am.

Chief fire officer Grant Duley said the shed was "pretty well gutted" when they arrived and several household items inside were damaged.

The adjacent house, which had no one living in it, had to be doused in water to protect it while they waited for another appliance to help extinguish the fire, he said.

"It was lucky we were going past and saw it.

"We were the ones to put the call in, which is a not common."

Firefighters spent 45 minutes at the address and called police because they believed the fire to be suspicious, Mr Duley said.

A police spokesperson said police attended at 4.05am and are continuing their investigation.

The fire crew had been returning from a property on Ruakituri Rd following a small veranda fire which had been extinguished by the time they arrived.

Occupants of the house had put hot ashes from their indoor fire on the veranda the night before which ignited by 2.15am.

The residents used buckets of water to extinguish the flames with only a small part of the veranda receiving fire damage.