Fire at Polynesian cafe in Pukekohe was arson, police believe

A blaze that completely destroyed a new Polynesian takeaway shop in South Auckland this week is being treated as arson.

Police confirmed to the Herald they were investigating the fire, which gutted the Kings Polynesian Island Food & Cafe and left neighbouring shops on King St in Pukekohe with significant smoke and water damage.

Eleven fire trucks, including two aerial appliances, were called to the blaze just after midnight on Tuesday.

“A scene examination has been carried out and police are treating the fire as suspicious. No injuries were reported in regards to this incident,” a police spokesman said.

Dozens of firefighters and 11 fire trucks were required to extinguish Tuesday morning's blaze. Photo / Supplied

Two shops neighbouring the cafe - home decor store Dapper & Co and Halliwell Shoes - suffered damage.

Shannon Deadman, Dapper & Co’s marketing director, told the Herald all their stock had been water- or smoke-damaged and could not be sold.

Dapper & Co and Halliwell Shoes, which neighbour the cafe, both suffered significant damage to stock. Photo / Supplied

Her landlord lives in an apartment upstairs and was alerted to the fire by the shop’s smoke alarm system.

Shannon, whose mother Larissa Deadman owns Dapper & Co, expressed her gratitude to Pukekohe locals who had been stopping by all day on Tuesday to offer condolences and help restore the shop.

Shannon had not seen the owners of the Polynesian takeaway following the fire, but said their shop had been extremely successful since it had opened earlier this year, with “queues out the door”.

Police keeping ‘open mind’

The blaze follows several recent incidents in which barbershops around Auckland have been deliberately set alight.

The most recent arson, at East Tamaki’s One Two Uppercuts, ended badly for the culprits; security footage shows the trio stumbling out of the building having set themselves alight.

In response to a query from the Herald, the police spokesman said “at this very early stage” there was no evidence linking those incidents to Tuesday’s fire, and police were “keeping an open mind”.

• Anyone with CCTV footage, or information that could help in the investigation, is asked to contact police on the 105 phone service, referencing file number 240806/9009. They can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.