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CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Emergency services were called to the fire on Fendalton Rd in Fendalton just before 2.30 a.m. Wednesday.
A two-story Christchurch house is believed to have been suspiciously burned overnight, prompting the evacuation of at least one nearby property.
Emergency services were called to the fire on Fendalton Rd, near Glandovey Rd in Fendalton, just before 2.30am on Wednesday.
New Zealand Fire and Emergency (Fenz) spokeswoman Jill Higgison said the home, which was allegedly abandoned, was on fire when six crews and a command unit attended.
He said that no other property was threatened and no one was injured.
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Fire crews comb through the charred remains of the property, which is believed to be abandoned.
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Crews were still working to fully extinguish the fire at 7:30 a.m., but the home had sustained significant damage.
Higgison said the fire was treated as suspicious and that police were also dispatched to the scene, where they helped with traffic control and closed a lane of Fendalton Rd between Tui St and Glandovey Rd.
A police spokeswoman said officers evacuated at least one property due to its proximity to the fire, and the occupants returned home shortly before 4 a.m.
Police investigators and firefighters remained at the scene to determine the cause early Wednesday morning.
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
The cause of the fire was not yet known, but it is considered suspicious.
This most recent blaze comes after a 105-year-old house in downtown Christchurch is also believed to have caught fire.
Emergency services were called to the fire in Park Tce at 1.15 a.m. Sunday.
Fenz shift manager Andrew Norris said six fire trucks battled the fire at the highest point of the fire.
No one was inside the home, which was heavily damaged, at the time the fire broke out, he said.
A 40-year-old man was arrested in connection with the fire. He was scheduled to reappear in Christchurch District Court on Wednesday on an arson charge.
