KEY POINTS:
Police say they are following several leads on the cause of the fire of a disused meatworks in Patea, which resulted in hundreds of people evacuated from their homes due to dangerous asbestos fumes.
Fire crews were still dampening down hotspots at the site today, four days after the fire had begun.
Three hundred residents were evacuated from the area because of the threat of inhaling dangerous asbestos fumes.
Witnesses have reported the fire appeared to begin simultaneously in several buildings on the site.
Detective Sergeant Blair Burnett told Radio New Zealand sparks may have spread from a single smouldering fire but arson was still being considered, with detectives working from eyewitness accounts.
Mr Burnett said asbestos and chemicals made the fire debris too dangerous for police to investigate, and the ferocity of the fire probably destroyed any useful evidence.
Assistant region fire commander Pat Fitzell said fire engines would be in the Patea township to wash houses for free today.
"We'll start at one end of town and work our way through. Inquiries about the house wash are coming in thick and fast."
The council was looking at putting water sprinklers in to keep the site damp and the use of chemicals to glue the ash was being investigated as an interim measure.
The Government has said an investigation into possible contamination was an urgent priority.
Health officials in Taranaki were telling residents to keep their windows shut in case the fire had released asbestos into the air, and to wash all vegetables.
- NZPA
