Abandoned Te Kamo house goes up in flames for the fourth time, considered suspicious

The house fire at a Kamo property is considered suspicious. Photo/Avneesh Vincent

An abandoned property in Whangārei has gone up in flames again in a suspicious fire.

Firefighters were called to the Kamo Rd address about 2pm and found the house “completely engulfed”.

The derelict house is about 100m from the Kamo Fire Brigade.

Fire investigator Craig Bain said the home was involved in a fire three times before and all were deliberately lit.

This time, it was “totally gutted” except for the front wall left standing.

Te Kamo resident Steve Riley said the abandoned house was well known for going up in flames multiple times over the past 15 years.

He said the Auckland-based homeowner has no plans to demolish it yet.

About seven fire trucks were called out, with two called back after the fire was controlled.

Traffic management was in place on Station Road as motorists, stuck in traffic, watched the burning embers and trail of smoke.

Six brigades from Kamo, Whangārei , Hikurangi, Portland, Onerahi, and Ngunguru attended the scene. Two police vehicles were also present.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Northern Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.