A fire that broke out at a landmark Invercargill church this evening is being treated as arson, police say.<\/p>\n
The small blaze at St. Mary\u2019s Basilica, in Tyne St, was extinguished by crews using a bucket of water.<\/p>\n
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said they received reports of a fire at a church at about 5.10pm today.<\/p>\n
Two appliances were dispatched.<\/p>\n
“When they arrived they found a small fire and used a bucket of water to extinguish it.<\/p>\n
“They were then using a fan to clear the smoke.”<\/p>\n
Crews were alerted to the fire early enough that it was still small when they arrived, the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
A police spokeswoman confirmed they were treating the fire as arson.<\/p>\n
“Anyone with information that could assist our enquiries is asked to contact Police via 105, quoting event number P064082366.”<\/p>\n
A member of St. Mary\u2019s Basilica confirmed the fire occurred at the church.<\/p>\n
It was built in 1905 and designed by famed Dunedin architect Francis Petre.<\/p>\n