Firebug on loose in bush garden

More than a dozen fires in Whangarei - including Sunday's Quarry Gardens blaze which came within 200m of houses - could be the work of a serial arsonist.

The latest fire, the third at the gardens in Russell Rd since November 19, destroyed 1ha of bush.

Nearly 4ha of the popular tourist spot have now been wiped out in the three blazes, and gardens manager David Muir has had enough.

"I feel numb ... just sad that someone could do this," he said.

The same person may be responsible for all three fires at the gardens, plus up to a dozen more in Whangarei reserves in the past year, said the district council's Rural Fire Service principal officer, Kevin Ihaka.

All the fires had been ignited in similar ways, he said, but would not go into details.

"We have had a history of senseless fires [in Whangarei reserves] and we are researching back a year or so to see what sort of pattern emerges."

Mr Ihaka urged anyone with information to come forward before a life was lost.

"I find it disturbing someone is sick enough to do this. Someone knows who is responsible and it's time they said something."

The culprit, if found, would be hit with a bill totalling more than $30,000 - the cost of fighting all three Quarry Gardens blazes - "and convictions and fines will be added to that", Mr Ihaka said.

"Police are heavily involved now. We will be working with them and fire investigators and putting together a profile."

Mr Muir said he was now "more determined than ever" to carry on developing the gardens.

This week he has been winding up a public fund which netted about $5000 after the first fire wiped out 2.5ha in November.

The cost of replanting that area was $20,000, and the latest blaze would cost thousands more, he said.

Hundreds of onlookers gathered at Kensington Stadium to watch Sunday night's blaze, some with blankets and hot drinks.

Whangarei district councillor Merv Williams, deputy chairman of the Quarry Gardens Trust, said he had seen the gardens go from "raw scrub and bare earth" to a botanical gem.

"It represents the vision of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of volunteer hours," he said, and the fires were an insult to those people.

It was also a waste of ratepayers' money, with $80,000 a year going into developing the area. And "tens of thousands of dollars" were donated yearly by the public.

Local authorities, including firefighters, will hold a public meeting at the Quarry Gardens at 7pm on January 17 to discuss the arsons.

Meanwhile, Mr Ihaka said a restricted fire season would begin in the Whangarei district at midnight on January 20. Open fires would require a permit.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE