Wanaka Fire Brigade Station Officer Warren Bates said yesterday the volunteer brigade was called to the Mt Iron walking track car park, opposite Puzzling World and the Maze, shortly after 4am, to attend to a fire. A passing motorist had noticed the can "smouldering away".
Mr Bates said it appeared someone had put a rag in the tin nozzle and tried to light it, but the fire had gone out by the time the brigade arrived just after 4.40am.
Constable Martin Barham said yesterday police were concerned the container could have exploded and sent dangerous shards of tin flying everywhere.
Mr Bates said a big explosion was unlikely, given the fuel can was not under pressure.
He estimated it was about half full of fuel and had the fuse worked, the fire would have been hazardous to those who approached it to remove the rag.
"There is potential with fuel like that for something to go wrong... I would like to think it would not have exploded, but you never know when dealing with fuel," Mr Bates said.
