Vagrant cooking may have set off city fire

A spectacular Wellington fire which destroyed a signwriting business may have been started by a vagrant cooking.

Detective Sergeant Tim Leitch said the Good Friday fire on Thorndon Quay started in a lean-to next to the gutted building where a homeless man regularly slept and cooked his meals.

Mr Leitch said the cause of the fire had not been established. Police had spoken to the vagrant, who was co-operative, but they intended interviewing him again.

He said police were keen to hear from anybody who might have seen the man on Friday as they wanted to confirm his movements.

The vagrant was described as 185cm in height, slim, in his 60s, with a grey beard, red zip-up polar fleece, black coat, and a dark green beanie. He was pushing a shopping trolley.

Fire Service senior station officer Mark Chapman, who commanded the firefighting effort, said the lean-to structure in the alley between the gutted building and Beaurepaires was filled with junk.

The blaze underlined the latest fire safety message, which was to "keep looking while you're cooking".

The spread of the fire had been impressive, Mr Chapman said.

The entire two-storey timber-framed building was ablaze within minutes and the fire was fuelled by large quantities of flammable materials, including paint and thinners.

- NZPA