Rats chewing electric wiring are believed to have caused a big woolshed fire in remote northern Wairarapa on Sunday.
The two-storey building, on Brooklands Station, Tiraumea, and thought to be one of the biggest woolsheds in the southern hemisphere, was destroyed on Sunday afternoon.
Fire investigation staff arrived on the scene on
Monday morning and Pongaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade chief John Eunson, who attended the blaze, said the investigation team believed rats caused an electrical fire which sparked the massive blaze.
"They think rats chewed through wires in the soffit. They chewed through the rubber casing and that's what caused it," he said.
The 4050ha Brooklands Station is owned by Graham Anderson, who said earlier this week the woolshed was a focal point for the Tiraumea community and had hosted many community functions.
The woolshed was built in the 1960s over three years by George and Lloyd Timmins, the sons of then-station owner George Timmins senior.
- WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE (MASTERTON)
