Police investigating suspicious fire in Invercargill

Monday, 7 February 2022

A suspicious fire in Invercargill at the weekend has been handed over to the police for investigation.

The fire that destroyed a property on Conon St started late Saturday night and was only brought under control in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A police spokesperson said on Monday morning that enquiries were ongoing.

A police officer was seen outside the remains of the Appleby property late-Sunday morning, but by Monday morning, the structure had been demolished.

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Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded to calls about the fire, between Ettrick and Teviot streets, just before 10pm on Saturday night.

Two crews found the house “well-involved” in flames, triggering a call for further assistance to tackle the blaze, a spokesperson said.

The fire was brought under control and largely extinguished by about 3am, he said.

There were no reports of evacuation or any injuries and crews rotated throughout the night to keep an eye on any hot spots.

Fire investigator, Nick Linton, of Cromwell, travelled to Invercargill on Sunday but said he had to classify the cause of the fire as “undetermined” because the structure was unsafe for him to enter.

“There's just wasn’t enough evidence I could gather,” he said.

The property was demolished because there were fears it would come down on a nearby caravan, he said.

The property was known to police and Saturday’s fire had reportedly been the second in a week.