Pakuranga sports bar blaze being treated as suspicious

Photo / Google Maps

A destructive blaze at a Pakuranga sports bar is being treated as arson.

Emergency services were called to the Lowlander Bar and Grill around 5am today.

Fire Service northern shift manager Jaron Phillips said seven fire engines were called to control the blaze, in Reeves Rd near the Pakuranga Plaza.

Specialist fire investigators headed to the Cortina Pl pub to determine the cause of the destructive blaze, inside the bar's mezzanine floor and upper level.

Police have now been called in to find out who was responsible for the pre-dawn blaze.

Streets in the area were closed during the emergency but reopened before rush hour.

UPDATE: Reeves Rd in Pakuranga is now OPEN again. Thanks for your patience ^TP
https://t.co/nRRBaYeRCA

— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) February 23, 2017

Phillips said the building was well alight when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters used high ladders on trucks to extinguish the flames from the shop's second storey.