November 24, 2008

Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with arson after a house fire in New Plymouth.
Firefighters were called to the Darwin Cres address about 2.15pm on Saturday, after the owner noticed smoke coming from the roof.
Police Constable Ben Siffleet said it appeared the fire was started by teens setting off fireworks.
Mr Siffleet said the boys had not thrown the crackers on to the roof. They had just landed there.
Three teenagers, two aged 17 and one aged 16, were arrested and charged with arson.
Mr Siffleet said the boys were released on police bail to appear in New Plymouth's Youth Court in December.
He said it was a timely reminder to people to be careful when setting off fireworks.
Three fire engines, four police cars and an ambulance attended the scene, and the road was blocked to traffic.
New Plymouth Fire Brigade senior station officer Steve Dombroski said the fire had a good hold when they arrived.
'The whole ceiling void was well involved with fire,' Mr Dombroski said.
The fire was very difficult to get at and had started to burn through the roof, making fighting it dangerous for firefighters, he said. 'As the timber burns away you can end up with the roof collapsing on top of you.'
Firefighters Paul Manuel, seated centre, and Mitch Tamati, right, take a break from fighting a fire started by fireworks on Saturday, while another volunteer firefighter heads out.