Teen charged over Wellington fire

Police have charged a teenager with arson following a fire in central Wellington this morning which brought traffic in the city to a halt.

A 19-year-old Wellington man had been accused of starting the fire in one of a block of about six flats on Allenby Terrace, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Borrell said.

He would appear in Wellington District Court tomorrow facing arson and burglary related charges.

Police would oppose bail and there may be further more serious charges to follow, Mr Borrell said.

"Thankfully no one was injured but the potential for injury was very real and we're all very, very thankful that no one was."

Police knew the fire was deliberately lit and would be investigating with fire safety officers exactly how it was started, Mr Borrell said.

He hoped to be able to release those details tomorrow.

The flat the fire began in was gutted and the other flats suffered water and smoke damage.

Police were already arriving at the scene when the arson occurred as they had been called to a family violence dispute at the flats, Mr Borrell said.

"Thankfully we were there at the scene very, very quickly."

Assistant Area Fire Commander Des Irving said one person had been trapped in the three-storey block of flats, but escaped uninjured.

- NZPA