Counties Manukau East CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Dean Batey said the school-age child had been charged with causing the blaze and that others may alsoface charges.
“This young person has appeared in the Manukau Youth Court and is currently on court bail conditions,” Batey said.
“Police appreciate the fire has been of high interest to the local community.
“We are not able to comment further around the circumstances of the alleged offending. However, police cannot rule out any further arrests in relation to the matter.”
A witness described the fire at the playground at the back of Pakuranga McDonald's as "intense".
About four customers and multiple staff members were in the restaurant at the time.
The fire spewed smoke across Pakuranga on May 5, forcing the closure of a major road in both directions.
Witnesses said they heard explosions and thought the fire had started from the playground attached to the fast-food restaurant.
The intense fire tore through Pakuranga McDonald’s around 3pm, with flames leaping up the restaurant’s windows and plumes of thick, black smoke billowing from the building.
At the height of the fire a staff member at the nearby petrol station told the Herald he could see plumes of smoke coming from the nearby McDonald’s.
Nine-year-old Auckland schoolgirl Harper Davis was hailed as a hero after spotting a flicker of fire in the playground and alerting staff minutes before it erupted into the huge blaze.
Multiple staff members and about four customers were in the store at the time, Harper said.
