March 14, 2009

A fire that gutted a sleepout sounded 'like thunder going off' according to a resident living in a flat nearby.
The fire on a back section off Cameron Rd started at 6am today, destroying a room connected to a detached garage. It is being treated as suspicious.
The room, measuring three metres by five metres, housed a lounge, bar and laundry and was also used to store furniture and tools.
It was well alight when firefighters arrived.
Tauranga Fire Brigade senior station officer Phil Price said the fire had broken through a wall and was getting into the house _ less than two metres away _ almost breaking through the eaves.
Windows in the kitchen and lounge exploded, and the fire melted blinds and spouting, filled the house with smoke and caused exterior damage.
Two people were in the house and one phoned emergency services when they heard the fibrelight breaking, he said.
Mr Price said the the cause of the fire was being investigated, but it was believed to be suspicious.
The outside room the blaze started in was thought to have been unlocked at the time of the fire.
John Walsh was living in a flat under the house, when he heard the sound of the fire, which he described as 'like thunder going off'.
'I thought it was kids playing next door ... lighting some fireworks.'
The occupants of the rented house were unhurt. The house was understood to be insured.