Members of the Ōpōtiki Coastguard are “gutted” after a digger was set alight and their headquarters were broken into overnight.
The incidents occurred in the early hours, when an HEB construction digger used on a wharf upgrade outside the building was set alight.
Then, an alleged offender smashed a ranch slider and broke into the building – setting more fires inside.
Police this afternoon confirmed a 37-year-old man was arrested over the fire. He has been charged with arson and is set to appear in the Whakatāne District Court tomorrow.
Among the things lost in the blaze were the coastguard’s books, which contained years of learning knowledge for volunteers. Because the fire alarms failed to activate, the books were left smouldering and smoke filled the building.
Police confirmed to 1News that the digger was found on fire at around 3am this morning.
“Police and a Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigator will be conducting a scene examination this morning to establish the circumstances surrounding the blaze,” a police spokesperson said.
The scene was also under a police guard.
Speaking to 1News, Ōpōtiki Coastguard president and skipper Jon Jones said he and the other volunteers were “gutted” and “pissed off”.
“We’re a small unit who are just trying to help people, this is a real hit to our resources,” he said.
“Cleaning it up is going to take our volunteers’ time – that’s time we could be out on the water.
“Just yesterday, we were out towing a boat in.”
He said it was unfair that someone would target their building when “we’re just trying to help people”.