Dunedin fire crews were called to another suspicious blaze at an abandoned rest-home in Mornington early yesterday.
Three crews were called shortly before 6.30am to the abandoned Glamis Hospital in Montpellier St and were able to extinguish the fire within an hour.
The former hospital was gutted in a suspicious fire late last year.
Speaking at the scene yesterday, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) fire risk management officer Mark Bredenbeck said there was no question the fire was suspicious.
"The only way it could have been started is an incendiary cause, because there’s no electricity supplied, there were no electrical storms or anything last night.
"It has to be somebody doing something with a naked flame."
The fire started on the top floor and people needed to be aware the building was now even more hazardous than it had been after the first fire, Mr Bredenbeck said.
"People need to be aware of the dangers of coming into derelict buildings like this.
"Obviously, now that it’s had more fire damage there’s a lot of things that could fall on your head pretty easily."
Police had been notified, he said.
A police spokeswoman said the investigation into the fire last year remained open and no arrests had been made.
Karen Carmody, who lives across the road from the derelict rest-home, said the building was a hot-spot for vandalism.
Her husband had called 111 after noticing the fire while walking their dogs yesterday morning.
When told of the fire, Mrs Carmody said her reaction was simply: "Oh, it’s on fire again."
She had recently seen some teenage boys in school uniform sliding down the roof.
"That’s a recipe for disaster."
All residents and staff at the Glamis site were transferred to the Yvette Williams Retirement Village in Highgate when it opened in early 2011.
The owner of the building was understood to live overseas.
