A person has been taken into custody by police after witnesses intervened at the scene of a suspicious fire near a Dunedin beach suburb.
A police spokeswoman said officers responded to reports of a vegetation fire at Centre Rd, Ocean Grove, about 7.20pm on Friday.
A man was taken into police custody after some witnesses found him at the scene.
‘‘Whilst police generally discourage intervening, we appreciated their efforts which assisted police on this occasion,’’ the spokeswoman said.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews from Portobello, St Kilda and Dunedin stations were called to help extinguish the fire.
While crews were on en-route they saw the fire and a further appliance from Willowbank station was dispatched, the spokesman said.
On arrival, firefighters discovered a 10m by 10m fire at the base of a pine tree.
The fire was believed to have been deliberately lit and was being treated as suspicious, the spokesman said.
