Family business in Rotorua gutted by fire is being treated as deliberately lit

Police are looking for whoever started a fire which gutted two businesses and caused smoke damage to others last month.

The fire gutted two shops at 3.25am on April 11 and caused smoke damage to others at the Selwyn Heights shopping complex on the corner of Old Quarry Rd and Kokako St.

Constable Andrew Flinn said the fire was being treated as "deliberately lit" and police were looking for the person or people responsible.

"It caused significant damage to a popular local business and we are thankful we are not dealing with loss of life or more widespread damage," Flinn said.

Mukesh Reddy was the chef and co-owner of Bula Takeaways which was destroyed in the fire and said they were still looking for a place to start their family business again in Rotorua.

Reddy said he has been kept up to date with the entire process and did not want to dwell on the loss.

"What can we do," he said.

The family moved to Rotorua from Auckland last year specifically to bring the Fijian-Indian specialty food no one else offered.

The other shop damaged by the fire was the barber Specific Cuts.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact police.