'Half-wits' set fires to mark end of term

Dunedin firefighters struggled to extinguish fires started by Otago University students celebrating the end of studies at the weekend.

The students had piled rubbish on the footpaths for end-of-year collection on Saturday and "half-wits" had set it alight, said senior firefighter Ben Pitelen.

He said the fires - 15 in all - could have put lives at risk by spreading to student flats or using up firefighters' time when they had more urgent fires or crashes to attend.