Second fire fuels church arson suspicions

The Ngahinapouri Community Church was being renovated at the time of the blaze. Photo / Christine Cornege

A suspicious fire that destroyed a small Waikato church could prompt the reopening of an investigation into a blaze at another church.

Firefighters were called to the Ngahinapouri community church, about 15km southwest of Hamilton, yesterday about 4.10am. The small building, built by the community in 1965 on land donated by the Catholic Church, was well alight by the time four fire trucks arrived.

The building, which was being renovated, had a concrete-block base, matai floors and steel girders in the roof, which have collapsed.

Waikato fire safety officer Dave Jenkins said the fire was "looking towards being suspicious".

"The place is totally destroyed, it's in quite a dangerous state with all the walls - one touch and they will fall over."

Mr Jenkins said it was "a bit coincidental" that yesterday's blaze followed another at a church in nearby Paterangi, about 7km away.

That church was destroyed on June 18. At the time firefighters blamed an electrical fault.

But Mr Jenkins said: "I think that [investigation] will be re-opened."

The sight of the burned church hit some locals hard and a former member Barbara Templer, who taught Sunday school, placed flowers at the scene.

Her husband, Michael Templer, who used to lead services at the church, said that although it was used sparingly by the community, its loss would be sorely felt.

"To lose two churches in such a short time, it's really sad. This church had some beautiful features ... it was a special place," said Mr Templer.

A local man, who asked to be known only by his first name Murray, was having an early morning cigarette when he saw the fire's glow from his dairy farm several kilometres away.

He said the heyday was in the 1960s and 1970s when dozens of people attended service at the inter-denominational church.

He married there in 1974 and had children christened there.

"It's a devastating loss for the community."

Hamilton detectives were yesterday at the scene paying attention to tyre marks that encircled the church and searching the perimeter for further clues.

The Waikato Times reported that the church had recently been the centre of controversy among local resident after a group formed a community trust to try to buy it when the Te Awamutu branch put it briefly on themarket.

Instead, the Kaimai Presbytery stepped in and organised Melville's St Stephen's Presbyterian congregation to oversee renovation work.