Police have arrested a man in relation to a house fire in the Whangārei suburb of Tikipunga in which the sole occupant Hoani Reuben died.
Ōtangārei man August Lemon, was charged on Tuesday, with knowingly endangering life by setting fire to property (arson) - an offence carrying a maximum sentence of up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Reuben, also known as Hoani or John Reupena-Tuoro, was 61 when the fire broke out at the Kainga Ora-owned house about 3am on April 29. It was thought to have started in a car and then spread throughout the house in Thomas Street. Police treated the fire and death as suspicious with officers trawling through CCTV footage from nearby streets.
Lemon appeared briefly in Whangārei District Court after his arrest this week and was remanded into custody to appear next by AV-link on September 16.