Rabbit survives Nelson kindergarten fire

Police and fire safety officers are investigating a suspicious fire that damaged a Nelson kindergarten early today.

Firefighters were called to Waverley Street Kindergarten in the suburb of Richmond about 4.30am, Richmond chief fire officer Ralph Lonsdale told NZPA.

The fire damaged the kindergarten's only building, but it was "repairable", Mr Lonsdale said.

The blaze was started on a sofa that was sitting in front of a window on a patio outside of the building.

The kindergarten was known as a place where people gathered during nights and on weekends, Mr Lonsdale said.

"But the people must have had some sort of heart because they'd moved the rabbit hutch out of the way.

"The rabbit lives," he said.

There had been a few suspicious fires in the area over the last month and a half, which had not been solved, Mr Lonsdale said.

- NZPA