Arson attempt sickness

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 482, 20 April 1993, Page 3

Arson attempt sickness

Council staff are sickened by the senseless arson that gutted an office of the Ohakune Borough Council chambers last week. Offenders damaged a water tanker belonging to the Ohakune Volunteer Fire Brigade sometime on Wednesday night to gain access to fuel. The diesel was used as an accelerant to start the fire that was centred in a rear office shared by Works Engineer Don Sattler and Hydatids Officer Lyle McGill. A collection of irreplacable engineering files, maps and plans, some 30 years old, stored in the office were totally destroyed in the blaze that was confined to one office. Ohakune Police said that the inner door was blown closed, presum-

ably by the force of initial combustion. A combination of heavy smoke and diesel-saturated carpet aided to suffocate the blaze that miraculously did not spread to adjoining offices. The office was spared major structural damage. The intensity of the blaze left one office telephone a virtually unrecognisable puddle of plastic and melted light fixtures. Files of documents escaped the flames but were damaged by smoke and soot. Works engineer Don Sattler, who arrived at work on Thursday morning to find the accumulation of many years work gone up in smoke, .was shocked and saddened by the arson. Ohakune Police

Sergeant Bob Evans said he was concerned by the offender's callous indifference to the community as a whole, saying it was fortunate the fire went out by itself. He added that more lives could have been endangered should the Fire Brigade have needed the tanker, which was rendered inoperable with cut fuel lines. Ohakune Police are following a number of lines

of enquiry into the incident. Fire chief Max Martin was outraged by the vandalism to the brigade's equipment. "I can't understand the mentality of these people", he said.. "It was fortunate that the tanker wasn't needed as it was left totally inoperable. You never know when you're going to need it." Police recovered an

opaque white 20-litre plastic container and two Mobil four-litre oil packs coloured gold with blue caps at the scene of the fire. They are interested to hear from anyone who may know the origins of these containers, and would also like to hear from anyone who may have noticed anything suspicious last Wednesday night.