Kiwi Pies out of action following fire

Te Awamutu fire crews at the Rickit Road fire on Sunday night. Photo / Chris Lane

Two youths are assisting Te Awamutu CIB with enquiries into a suspicious fire on Sunday night that has put family-owned Kiwi Pies temporarily out of business.

Darrell and Nicola Liddington have run their iconic Te Awamutu business for 15 years. Their son Bodhi is also involved in the bakery.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) staff responded to the fire just before 9pm Sunday and left the scene around midnight.

Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours. Photo / Chris Lane

A Fenz spokesperson said the fire had engulfed a large part of the 50-metre by 80m building on Rickit Road, which had several owners and occupants, including Zero Limits Gymnasium and the Te Awamutu Boxing Academy.

Fire investigators were at the scene on Monday sifting through a considerable amount of fire and smoke damage.

Detective Paul Galletta of the Te Awamutu CIB told the Te Awamutu Courier while the Fenz investigation into the cause of the blaze was still ongoing, information from firefighters on the night as to the likely source of the fire and information from the public led to the police locating two youths.

“They are now assisting us with our enquiries and we are not seeking anyone else,” said Paul.

Kiwi Pies is expected to be closed for some time while necessary repairs are undertaken and equipment is replaced.