South Island fire service workers were kept busy overnight responding to blazes in Christchurch's Red Zone and in Gore.
Southern Fire Communications shift manager Tim Reynolds said they responded to two fires within 10 minutes of each other in the Red Zone around 3.45am.
The first blaze, on New Brighton Rd was "well involved" with fire when emergency services responded. The second, on Queensbury St was smaller.
Both fires were being treated as suspicious, however no people were injured, Mr Reynolds said.
Earlier in the evening yesterday, at about 7.55pm, emergency services responded to a fire at East Gore Primary School after being alerted by a passing member of the public.
Three fire appliances attended the initial call-out, and upon arrival fire staff confirmed that a building on the school grounds was well ablaze. The fire was quickly contained but the building was extensively damaged.
The building contains a disused, and filled in, swimming pool and is used by the school as a storage and wet-weather facility.
The fire was being treated as suspicious and an investigation into the incident is underway. The school will be open today.
- Brendan Manning of APNZ
