A fire that gutted a million-dollar Dunedin house yesterday is being treated as a suspected arson.
Four appliances spent most of the night fighting the blaze in the large modern home in a back section on Larnach Rd, Waverley, after they were called just after midnight.
The house was gutted.
A Fire Service spokesman said the family that lived at the house were on holiday in Central Otago when the fire started.
Fire safety officer Stu Ide said the cause could not be determined yesterday because loose roofing iron made it too dangerous to stay in the house.
However, there were some circumstances that made the fire look suspicious and the house was being treated as a crime scene.
Police were also investigating the fire, he said.
Last night, police said the investigation would continue when the roofing iron was removed and the remains of the house made more stable.
It was not clear when work on stabilising the house would begin.
The capital value of the house is listed as $1 million on the Dunedin City Council's rates information website.
When contacted yesterday, the owner, Shane Maaka, declined to comment on the fire.
