Police and fire service investigators yesterday scoured a gutted Napier property for the cause of a suspicious fire that also damaged a neighbouring house.
Shortly after 9pm on Tuesday residents in Kelvin Place, Maraenui, spotted flames bellowing from a two-storey Housing New Zealand property.
Detective Sergeant Emmet Lynch said the fire had started in the kitchen area of the property, which was unoccupied.
Firefighters called to the blaze searched the property to confirm the house was empty.
Mr Lynch said fire crews found the back door unsecured, leading investigators to believe squatters may have been using the building.