Teenager arrested after ambulance fire

An 18-year-old man from the isolated coastal Waikato settlement of Taharoa has been charged in connection with a fire in the town on Monday.

Another 18-year-old was flown by rescue helicopter to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital with severe burns after the fire, which destroyed the community's ambulance, a kohanga reo van and the shed the vehicles were parked in. A nearby medical centre was also damaged.

Today Detective Steve Hudson, of Te Kuiti police, said the arrest had resulted from excellent support from the local community, on the west coast south of Kawhia.

The injured man remained in hospital, in a serious but stable condition, and had yet to be spoken to by police.

The arrested man is to appear in Te Kuiti District Court on Friday.

- NZPA