A spate of arsons continued in Westport early today, with the second suspicious fire in less than five days.
Westport Volunteer Fire Brigade fire chief Alan Kennedy said a Queen Street resident, living adjacent to the Westport-Ngakawau railway line, discovered a vehicle alight in a carport attached to their house about 4am.
They tried to put it out before calling emergency services.
The brigade contained the fire and prevented it spreading to the house, Mr Kennedy said.
"It's being treated as suspicious."
Last Friday night an old shed in Russell Street was found alight shortly before midnight, and the previous week a carport at a Wakefield Street house was found on fire in suspicious circumstances.
Several houses have also burned in recent months.
Mr Kennedy said he had been speaking to police about the latest fire which was "another one" in a long list of unexplained or suspicious structure
arsons in the town this year.
"It's getting a bit random now, what they're trying and targeting."
The location of the fires and how they were set was not necessarily following a set pattern although it was disturbing that they were now being
set in structures adjacent to residential properties, with the potential to endanger life.
"It's getting a bit dangerous, this latest one. It's getting too frequent ... we're getting a bit worried now."
West Coast police prevention manager Paul Watson, of Greymouth, said the latest suspicious fire was concerning.
Police were conscious of the pattern emerging in Westport and were considering their options to nip it in the bud.
"We're going to have to lift our ante on how we deal with that," Mr Watson said.
By Brendon McMahon
