KEY POINTS:
A fire that extensively damaged a Northland pub is being treated as arson, investigators said yesterday.
Around a dozen appliances were called to the property at Okaihau, 34km northwest of Kawakawa, early on Saturday, after a neighbour alerted emergency services at 4.50am.
Senior Fire Safety Officer Craig Bain said the signs were that the blaze was started deliberately.
He said Kaikohe police would want to hear from anyone who happened to be driving along State Highway 1 past the pub between 4.30am and 5am on Saturday.
"Kaikohe CIB would be interested to hear from any motorists who went past, whether truckies, people away on holiday or whoever," he said.
"What they saw will help us to build a picture and a timeline."
Mr Bain declined to say how the fire was likely to have been started, but said witnesses reported that it caught hold quickly.
"All the people we've spoken to all reported that there was a very big fire very, very fast," he said.
"A normal smouldering fire wouldn't work like that."
Mr Bain said the bar area was so badly damaged that it would probably have to be demolished.
However, a firewall prevented the flames from going through to the accommodation section, which was used by the owner and his family.
There were "three or four" people in the accommodation area at the time and they escaped physical injury, but were in shock.
Mr Bain said he believed that the pub was not insured.
- NZPA
