Fires overnight at two buildings one block apart are being treated as suspicious. Video / Hayden Woodward
Auckland firefighters are treating two central city fires overnight as suspicious.
Six fire appliances and a command unit responded to a fire in a building on Fort St after the alarm was activated around 3am.
“We’ve turned up, the sprinkler system in the building had activated and on arrival we’ve found several seats of fire in this building,” said Fire and Emergency New Zealand Auckland City Assistant Commander Barry Fox.
Fox said the building’s sprinkler system was able to control the fire, but firefighters were still required to put the flames out and to ventilate.
While attending this fire, Fox said a blaze broke out in a building a block away on Customs St.
Northern Fire and Emergency shift manager Simon Lyford said the fire inside the building was small and on the ground floor.
Lyford said three engines were initially deployed, however, two were then stood down.
“At this stage, were treating the building’s fires as suspicious,” said Fox.
“We’re working with our [FENZ] fire investigators and police to come up with a cause.”