A blaze that destroyed a Napier church that rose from the ruins of the 1931 earthquake is under investigation, as a man was arrested on arson-related charges over his alleged involvement in two suspicious fires in the city.
St Paul’s Presbyterian Church on Tennyson St was destroyed in the blaze that took hold of the building at about 1am on Monday.
Crews from Napier, Taradale and Bay View, as well as Napier’s operational support unit, spent almost four and a half hours at the scene.
Reverends Mark Johnston and Carolyn Kelly said they were "devastated" by the fire.
"So thankful that everyone is safe."
Napier City councillor Sally Crown said the fire was "heartbreaking news" for the church and the wider community, adding she had spoken to the reverend not only to share her grief but her memories.
"It is hard to reconcile that celebration with this loss," she said.
"These places hold so much of our shared history and so many deeply personal memories. A church is its people, and that community remains, even as people grieve the building they loved."
Members of the church community described the building as a "treasure in the town".
The original church was destroyed by fire in 1929, as was a rebuilt church in the 7.8 magnitude Napier earthquake which killed 256 people in February 1931.
Man arrested on arson charges
In a statement this afternoon, police said a man had been charged following two suspicious fires in the city overnight.
Emergency services were called to a building on Bower St around 12.50am to reports of smoke coming from the premises, which then caught alight. Police were investigating, Sergeant Andrew Rallis said.
Several hours later, police were notified by Fire and Emergency NZ of a suspicious fire they were responding to in an alleyway on Market St.
"Local CCTV operators helped Police identify a person of interest walking away from the scene," Rallis said.
A 47-year-old man was arrested and charged with wilfully setting fire to the Market St property and with arson. He had been remanded in custody.
Police were also making enquiries into a fire reported at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church around 1am today.
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