Suspicious fire in Waipukurau: ‘Massive’ plume of smoke as home and shed destroyed

Investigators arrive at the scene of a cordoned-off property that caught fire in Waipukurau overnight. Photo / NZME

A house fire that started in a shed and destroyed a Waipukurau house early on Thursday morning has been deemed suspicious.

Waipukurau deputy fire chief Glen Millar said two trucks from Waipukurau, one from Waipawa, one from Ōtāne and one from Hastings were called to the fire at the Holyrood Tce property at 12.13am and the last truck left the scene at 5am.

“The fire has started in the shed which was being used as a sleepout,” Millar said.

“Upon our arrival, the occupants had evacuated the house and the shed. There were no injuries.”

He said the building had a brick exterior but the property had been totally lost to the fire, both the house and shed.

He said the first fire officer to arrive was senior station officer Peter Keenan, who quickly got the fire under control with his crew.

“Being a back section property, there are a lot of properties surrounding the building that was on fire,” Millar said.

He said the fire was being treated as suspicious at this stage.

One neighbour said she saw the property well ablaze just after midnight with a “massive” plume of smoke.

Specialist vehicles from Napier and Hastings were called initially, but not required.

A police spokeswoman said they maintained a scene guard overnight.

“Police will be making further inquiries,” she said.

Investigators were on the scene on Thursday morning to find the cause of the fire.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz