16 Nov 2008

Raumati South fire being treated as suspicious

8:33 pm on 16 November 2008

A fire that caused the evacuation of houses in Raumati South on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington is being treated as suspicious.

Emergency services were alerted to the blaze in an area of vegetation beside Matai Road on Sunday afternoon.

About 10 houses in Leinster Avenue were evacuated and a fire service spokesperson said 17 fire vehicles, including seven pumps, were at the scene.

The fire spread over two hectares before it was successfully put out.

Another fire, in the Lower Hutt suburb of Maungaraki, has also been extinguished.