Molotov cocktail caused fire at Key's electorate office - police

John Key's west Auckland electorate office. Photo / Bradley Ambrose

Police say a molotov cocktail caused a fire at Prime Minister John Key's electorate office northwest of Auckland this morning.

A small fire broke out when an object was thrown into the office in Main Road, Kumeu, about 3am.

Two Fire Service crews were dispatched to the scene and extinguished the fire quickly.

Rodney police area commander Janet Hope said the damage was minor.

She said it started after a molotov cocktail - a bottle containing flammable liquid - was thrown through a window at the office.

Detectives were arriving at the scene to investigate the attack.

Fire Service northern communications shift manager Megan Ruru said 111 calls were made by two members of the public.

"We were originally told it was just a house on fire, but the second call, from a neighbour, advised us it was John Key's office," she said.

A senior fire safety officer arrived at the scene about 8am to investigate the cause of the fire.

A spokesman for Mr Key said there would be no comment on the fire at this stage.

The office is on State Highway 16, a busy road used by commuters from Helensville and the Kumeu-Huapai area to Auckland.

The office was cordoned off but there did not appear to be any traffic delays.

Kumeu is within the Helensville electorate which Mr Key represents.

The attack is not the first on the electorate office of a prime minister. In 2004 an axe attack was made on the Auckland electorate office of then prime minister Helen Clark.

Political activist Tim Selwyn was convicted on a sedition charge for his involvement in the attack, and was jailed for two months.

In January last year a brick was thrown through the window of Miss Clark's electorate office.

- NZPA