Subj : Police continue to investigate suspicious Southland house fire
To   : All
From : News Person
Date : Sat Mar 02 2024 01:23 pm

Police are continuing to investigate a suspicious Southland house fire that
occurred last week.


Emergency services were called to the Elswick St, Waikaia, property shortly
after midnight on February 21.


Investigators earlier this week appealed for sightings of two vehicles of
interest - a dark-coloured twin-cab ute towing a trailer and a red vehicle.
Police today said investigators still want to identify the red vehicle and
its driver.


"Police have ruled out any involvement in arson or dishonesty offending of
the ute driver, police previously sought to speak to," Gore Police's
Detective Sergeant Brian McKinney said.


The red vehicle was seen leaving Elswick St and heading at speed towards
Riversdale shortly after the fire was set.


Police are seeking "dashcam footage from the Waikaia-Riversdale Road area
between 12am and 2am on Wednesday 21 February," McKinney said.

Police believe a weed eater and chainsaws were stolen from the property prior
to the arson, with similar items also stolen from the Waikaia township.
Police are investigating the "potential link".


Anyone with information can contact police on 105 or anonymously by calling
Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A44 2020/02/04 (Windows/64)
 * Origin: S.W.A.T.S BBS Telnet swatsbbs.ddns.net:2323 (63:10/102)

.