Investigators have confirmed a fire which swept through several Lower Hutt houses at the weekend was deliberately lit.
The blaze was begun about 1.30am yesterday in an unoccupied house under renovation in Cornwall St and, fanned by strong winds, it quickly spread to neighbouring properties.
The house under renovation was destroyed and four other homes were extensively damaged before a large team of firefighters managed to bring the flames under control.
Detective Sergeant Mike Sears from the Lower Hutt CIB said the crime was a serious one and a team of investigators was working to solve it.
"This is a very serious matter that exposed a number of people to great harm and caused considerable damage," he said. "We are treating this with utmost urgency."
The destroyed house was owned by Gavin Murphy and his family, who saw the destruction when they returned from a trip to Rotorua.
The family had spent two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating the 80-year-old building with the aim of moving in before Christmas.
"She's a bit of a shocker," Mr Murphy told The Dominion Post.
"We're just gutted obviously. It's such a waste." Mr Murphy said it was a shame neighbouring houses were also affected, but a relief no one was hurt. He said his house would be rebuilt.
Mr Sears praised everyone involved in fighting the fire and alerting neighbours and helping to get them out of harm's way.
"This was an incredibly dangerous situation. Emergency staff, assisted by members of the public, did an outstanding job evacuating all those exposed to risk despite the obvious risks to their own safety.
"It is amazing no one was physically harmed," he said.
