Teen charged with arson of Arthur's Emporium

A Kamo youth has been charged with the arson of a Whangarei business that caused $750,000 damage.
About 30 firefighters fought the blaze in a building used for storage by Arthur's Emporium, in Albert St, when the alarm was raised at 11.50pm on Wednesday.
Seven appliances and six support vehicles were called in and crews spent much of the time moving stock and pallets to ensure the fire was contained.
The main shop area was not affected by the fire and opened for business to Christmas shoppers looking for a bargain.
Arthur's Emporium is a family business that has been based in Whangarei for 30 years.
It developed from a small market stall at a flea market to a large store and several warehouses, importing a vast range of goods from a variety of overseas markets.
Jordan Samuel Pearce, 19, architecture student, appeared in the Whangarei District Court yesterday charged with arson.
Police opposed bail but it was granted by Judge Duncan Harvey with strict conditions.
Pearce will re-appear in court on January 27. Arthur's Emporium is owned by father and son Arthur and Toby Brasting.
The two were at the scene yesterday as insurance assessors surveyed the charred remains and building.
It was estimated that up to $500,000 of stock was damaged and it would cost about $250,000 to repair the building.
Toby said finding the main shop area was not damaged was the best five minutes of his day. When the new building was built a 1.2-metre gap had been left between it and the damaged storage building that was formerly used by IC Motors as a parts and service area. "That gap was our saving grace," he said.
It had also been lucky the fire had not spread into an area where thousands of reels of ribbons and lace were stored.
The storage area that was damaged was filled with shelving stacked with items ranging from school socks, fishing nets, hangi sacks to Christmas trees, decorations and paint rollers.
Arthur remained positive and retained a sense of humour - saying there would be no fire sale as a result.
Northland fire investigator Craig Bain said the blaze started in a wire cage filled with paper at the rear of the building. It had then spread up an outside wall into the roof and building. There was no sprinkler system in the building which could have slowed the spread of the fire in the highly combustible materials, he said.
It was also a reminder to other businesses to ensure skips and rubbish containers were cleared more frequently over the Christmas period and not to have them up against business premises.