Three people leaving an Alexandra gym the night the town's recycling centre was badly damaged by fire in 2015 thought flames they could see were from a burn-off or rubbish fire, a Dunedin District Court jury heard yesterday.
The fire did not look very large, the witnesses said. But they then realised it was a building in the Wastebusters yard that was burning and called 111.
None of the three witnesses had seen anyone "suspicious" in the area but one commented the person responsible was "probably long gone".
Two of the witnesses, both high school pupils, noticed a man carrying bolt-cutters coming from the direction of the yard but he had used the cutters on the gate so the firefighters could gain access, they said.
Alexandra man Aaron Gourlay (43), who had worked at Wastebusters, is accused of setting his former workplace on fire on the night of September 3, 2015.
He denies that charge of arson, three other arson charges relating to fires in cars belonging to two former work colleagues and his former partner and two charges of intentionally damaging tyres on cars by puncturing them.
His trial, before Judge Kevin Phillips and a jury, is expected to be completed next week.
Paul Weir, who has been employed at Wastebusters for about 10 years, gave evidence he and his then partner were drinking with Gourlay the night a car belonging to a work colleague, Frank Harris, was set on fire in May 2015. Gourlay had been away about 20 minutes getting some more alcohol and, when he returned, told them he had lit something and thrown it on the back seat of the car.
As to why the defendant might have done that, Mr Weir told Crown counsel Craig Power Gourlay "had some problem with Frank" and had "mentioned a few times he was going to do it".
What Gourlay told them had not been "the ravings of a drunk", the witness said in answer to questions from defence counsel Adriana Pinnock.
"He didn't say he had seen the car on fire. He said he'd set it on fire."
Mr Weir agreed that, after the Wastebusters fire, he had spoken about the defendant in very disparaging terms in text messages because he "was angry" with him.
"But I couldn't care less about him now. I've moved on," he said.
His relationship with his partner had ended in June 2015 when she became involved with Gourlay.
Mr Weir denied suggesting Gourlay was responsible for the fire at Wastebusters but said there was " general talk at work".
He remembered a meeting at the council chambers a few days after the fire. The fire was discussed and the workers were also told their jobs were secure. But he did not recall any mention of arson, Mr Weir said.
Former Wastebusters administration officer Sarah Pont said she found it "mind-blowing" to hear of suspicions the fire was arson.
She worked at Wastebusters until about 6.30pm on September 3. When she left Wastebusters, she reset the alarm and chained and padlocked the main gates.
To a question from Mrs Pinnock, the witness said she was not aware of any electrical "issues" on the site. She did not know where something in a fire report about "electrical issues" had come from.
