A 34-year-old woman has been charged with arson in relation to a fire that engulfed an Auckland lodge.
Up to 16 fire trucks rushed to fight the fire at City Garden Lodge backpackers in Parnell on Sunday, April 7.
Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Allan said the woman was arrested yesterday afternoon and is expected to appear in Auckland District Court today.
“Police would like to thank the members of the public who assisted with our inquiries and contributed to this result,” Allan said.
“As the matter is now before the court police will not be providing any further comment.”
The large blaze reportedly sent flames 6m high, while smoke billowed across the city.
Fire and Emergency NZ Assistant Commander Gary Lane said at the time the fire engulfed the historic building’s attic and spread down to the first floor.
A resident on St Georges Bay Rd told the Herald at the time the size of the fire and the number of firefighters rushing to the scene made it feel like “absolute chaos here”.
“There is thick smoke all over the street ... we went outside but were told to go back in because we couldn’t breathe,” they said.
The resident also said they saw people fighting outside the address while it was on fire.
Police said at the time there had been a report of a disorder incident at the lodge and said one person was taken into custody. The person was later released without being charged.
Another witness said they were walking up the street and saw “massive amounts of fire” pouring through the house.
“There was lots of smoke, and the fire just kept getting bigger and bigger.”
There are now fears for the future and safety of the boarding lodge.
The Herald reported at the time that Auckland Council building compliance workers had visited the site to see if the building would be able to be lived in again.
Deputy Auckland Mayor Desley Simpson said the Parnell building had been due to have its building warrant of fitness checked the day after the fire started, but that it had passed checks in August and November last year.
The lodge has been in the news previously – a woman was arrested after an alleged attack on New Year’s Day, 2021.
In that incident, three people were seen covered in blood and screaming at each other at the boarding house after a man living above a couple with a baby was allegedly stabbed.
Another man, in his 20s, was taken to hospital due to a stab wound to his back.
The 19-year-old was found in a remote area in the hills of Upper Hutt.