Police investigating suspicious Hastings car fire

Police are investigating the suspicious fire which gutted a car on Te Aute Rd yesterday. Photo/ Paul Taylor.

Police are investigating a suspicious fire which gutted a car on a rural Hastings road.

Police and the fire service were called to Te Aute Rd, Havelock North at about 12:30pm after receiving reports of a car set alight. The Hastings Fire Service remained for about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.

The burnt shell of the white sedan car was left on the side of Te Aute road, just past the Village Baptist Church. The fire had gutted the sedan, with such extensive damage its make and model could not be recognised by Hawke's Bay Today.

A Police spokeswoman said the fire wasconsidered suspicious, and Police would be investigating.

They were unable to comment further, however appealed for any witnesses, or anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

The attending Hastings fire service crew were unavailable to comment about the blaze yesterday.

Fire services were called to another vehicle fire – an electrical fire in a mobile breast cancer screening clinic in Waipukurau.

Fire central communications shift manager Carlos Dempsey said the fire had broken out in the large trailer parked at the Central Hawke's Bay Health Centre. It was small enough to be "dealt with" by a fire extinguisher.

-Information can be passed to Hastings Police by phoning 06 831 0700 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.