Two Dunedin men - aged 32 and 28 - were arrested by police and charged with burglary in connection with a garage fire on Clyde St early yesterday morning.
More charges were likely in relation to the fire, Acting Senior Sergeant Chris McLellan said. The scene was examined by a Fire Safety officer yesterday.
The fire was lit near a heat pump unit next to a flat and was ''clearly madness''.
''The potential of that fire to cause serious damage to property and the strong likelihood that we may lose a life is huge,'' he said.
The men are expected to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Friday.
The Fire Service attended five callouts in the student area between 2.09am and 6.16am, with four in the Clyde St area.
Acting Snr Sgt McLellan said at this stage it appeared those other fires were not linked, but inquiries were ongoing.
There were a lot of good-natured parties in the student quarter on Saturday night, and ''if fires are lit in areas where people are socialising, there is serious danger to students out having a good time''.
He reiterated the message (stated in the Otago Daily Times on Saturday) that police would no longer be offering diversion or pre-charge warnings to those found lighting fires in the North Dunedin area.
That decision was prompted after an incident where two men jumped off a fire engine following a callout to attend a couch fire.
That incident also featured bottles being thrown at an engine, with the Fire Service calling a meeting with other agencies in order to seek a solution to the disorder.
Following that meeting police said anyone caught interfering with an emergency vehicle could no longer expect to receive a pre-charge warned.
Despite that warning, police arrested a 20-year-old non-student after he chased a St John ambulance and tried to ''rip open its back doors'' as it went down Albany St on Saturday night.
The intoxicated man, who has been charged with disorderly behaviour, was believed to be a friend of the person being transported in the ambulance, Acting Snr Sgt McLellan said.
''His explanation was he wanted a ride home, so we assisted by giving him a ride to our home.''
