Fleeing man arrested after Dunedin fires

Members of the public helped police arrest a man after a garage and car were set on fire in St Kilda this afternoon.

Officers arrested the man outside a business on Andersons Bay Rd just after 2pm following a chase.

Members of the public at the scene who are believed to have helped in the arrest declined to comment.

The arrest is believed to be linked to a car fire and a blaze in a garage in Rona St, St Kilda.

Neighbour Mel Moana said she saw a man jump the fence and run away and saw a car parked across the road was on fire.

After that she heard yelling and became aware the garage was on fire. 

A group of nearby workers helped extinguish the car fire.

A fire investigator is on their way to a garage fire, extinguished this afternoon in St Kilda, Dunedin.

However, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman referred further comment to police.

"We have extinguished one fire in a garage," he said. "There's not a lot I can tell you really apart from that. 

"A fire investigator is heading to the scene.

"But it is a police matter, so you'll get further comment from them."

Three fire crews attended, one from Dunedin, one from St Kilda and one from Lookout Point, the spokesman said.