Two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old had been "found responsible" after being interviewed by police, following the deliberately lit fire three weeks ago, Sergeant Blair Wilkinson said this week.
The trio were not facing formal charges.
"The youths will be referred to Youth Aid for a youth justice process," Sgt Wilkinson said.
On November 11, owner and manager Brent Martyn received an early morning call from Fire and Emergency New Zealand after a neighbouring cafe worker spotted a fire at the back of his family cycle business in Thames St.
The fire had apparently started in packing and other recyclable material stacked against a rear wall.
A subsequent fire investigation suggested the fire had been burning for many hours — possibly since the night before.
Mr Martyn said he was still working through the impact of the deliberately lit fire on his business, which caused disruption and had entailed a major cleanup.
"It’s arson — it needs to be dealt with ..."
The total cost of the fire might not be known for a few more weeks but it could be about $100,000, he said.
"The amount of damage, it’s adding up, you know. I don’t know the final cost yet, but it’s getting up there."
Detective Sergeant Rory McGeown, of Oamaru, said the fire was believed to be an isolated incident.
"I think the community probably thinks there’s just one big horde of young people doing all the stuff, but it’s not the case," he said this week.
"This time of year, they’re just bored kids," Det Sgt McGeown said.
Mr Martyn said the police had informed him the identified culprits would go through the Youth Aid process.
"I haven’t decided if I want to see them or not ... We’ll see.
"It could be the type of kids that just don’t care ... I don’t think they know the damage they caused."
Meantime he was trying to move forward.
"It’s just annoying. We’re still busy. The timing is not good."
