A fire that tore through an unoccupied Winton property at the weekend is being treated as suspicious.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews from the Winton station were sent to Grange St at 4.30am on Saturday after reports of an empty house on fire.
Two appliances attended and when they arrived the fire was well involved and engulfing the property.
Shortly after arrival, crews set off a second alarm and two more appliances, one from the Browns station and one from Wallacetown, arrived to help extinguish the blaze.
"A fire investigator was called as the fire was being treated as suspicious," the spokesman said.
A Grange St resident, who did not want to be named, said the house was "very much lived in" despite the condition it appeared to be in from the outside.
"The owner lives there on and off every few weeks.
"It was well kept and tidy on the inside."
The spokesman said by 5.09am, the fire was contained and crews were working on a "couple of hotspots" before the fire was fully extinguished.
Police were called in and the last of the crews left about 6.40am on Saturday.
The fire investigator returned to the scene yesterday morning to further investigate the cause of the blaze, the spokesman said.
The owner could not be reached for comment.
