Fire 'may have links to disorder'

Police remain keen to hear from anyone who has information about a suspicious fire that wrecked a Raumanga home.

The Smeaton Drive home was badly damaged about 4am last Wednesday. A couple who live there was staying at a nearby relative's house at the time.

The couple lost most of their possessions in the fire, which has left the house unliveable.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dene Begbie said the fire might be linked to a number of disorder incidents in the area earlier the same night.

Police were still seeking information in relation to the fire.

Meanwhile, the couple who lived at the address have questioned why police did not intervene in the fighting immediately on arriving in the street that night. "They sat down the end of the road while they were fighting and then came up when they dispersed," the male said.

Mr Begbie said police would have been assessing the situation.

"We've got a practice of setting up a safe point to ensure we can assess what we're actually dealing with and make sure we have the staffing resources to effectively police and that's certainly what would have happened that night."

-Anyone with information on the fire or fighting can call Whangarei police on 09 430 4500 or 0800 555 111.