A man and woman have been arrested and charged with arson following a fire at a block of shops in Taupō early today.
Three commercial stores were on fire when crews arrived at the scene at around 1.15am, and about 55 firefighters battled the blaze, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1 NEWS. The fire was described as "major".
Police have this afternoon arrested two people over the fire at the commercial building, Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson said..
A 24-year-old man was arrested in Auckland and is expected to appear in Auckland District Court tomorrow.
A 43-year-old woman was arrested in Taupō and is expected to appear in Rotorua District Court tomorrow.
Mr Wilson said police are aware of speculation in the community about who was responsible for the fire.
"We can confirm that the two people arrested in relation to the fire are not the owners of the business," he said.
A scene examination is ongoing and is expected to continue into tomorrow and a scene guard will be in place overnight, Mr Wilson said.
He said there are safety concerns regarding the structural safety of the building and police request that people stay well away.
Police this morning closed a section of the street, which extends from Heuheu Street to Tamamutu Street.
St John Ambulance said there were no reports of injuries from the fire.
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