Police would like to speak with four young people who reportedly entered a vacant building in Wellington's CBD before a fire broke out in it yesterday afternoon.
The young people are said to be aged between 10 to 15 years old and were seen "jumping the fence" near the rear of the building shortly before the fire.
"They were last seen in Cuba Mall around 2.20pm yesterday, Sunday 15 October," a police spokesperson said.
Police also understand people had been accessing the building from the Wilsons car park in the days before the fire and would like to speak to anyone who has knowledge of this or who may have seen anything suspicious in the area, particularly between the hours of 1.30pm to 2.30pm yesterday.
Although the cause of the fire is not yet known, inquiries are under way to establish how it started, police said.
"The building has sustained serious structural damage and it has now been handed over to the Wellington City Council who are commencing demolition."
Police worked with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) this morning and are satisfied "no one was trapped" in the building during the fire.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 105. People can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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