An abandoned house at Runanga went up in smoke early today in what is being described as a suspicious fire - the fourth building fire in the area in a month.
The house on the corner of Kilgour and Ranfurly streets had been empty for some time following the death of its owner.
Runanga fire chief Gavin Gibbens said both the Runanga and Cobden brigades were called about 2.45am and remained on scene for about two and a half hours.
"The whole house was seen to be burning quite well," Gibbens said.
Given the age of the house with tinder dry timber and gaps following the removal of doors and windows, it was particularly fierce.
"There was a lot of venting which accelerated the fire quickly."
It was burning so well that firefighters were able to attack it from only three points around the exterior.
It was also generating radiant heat which could have affected power lines for the main power supply into the centre of Runanga.
Gibbens said they were also worried about the roof and floor structure which constrained their ability to get into the burning house.
The power had previously been disconnected and, given the house was empty, the fire was being regarded as suspicious.
Gibbens said there was no obvious accelerant evident to firefighters.
He noted that today's fire was the fourth major structural blaze attended by the brigade in a month, which was unusually busy.
The other fires included a suspicious fire at the Paparoa Park Motels near Punakaiki on November 19, a farm shed fire at Barrytown on November 3, and the fire which destroyed a house at Coal Creek on November 23.
West Coast CIB area investigations manager Jacqui Corner said police staff along with a fire investigator remained at the scene this morning as they tried to determine the cause.
Meanwhile the suspicious fire at Punakaiki - in a unit within the motel complex - was still under investigation in conjunction with the Fire Service, Corner said.
"We're still covering lines of inquiry with that," she said.
In August the burned-out Runanga house had its windows chainsawed out and stolen, along with other interior fittings.
A Runanga man who witnessed the windows being removed was subsequently convicted for receiving one of the windows although those who removed and took away the windows have apparently not been found.
- Greymouth Star
