Arson ruled out in jobless centre fire

Press, 25 August 1986, Page 1

Arson ruled out in jobless centre fire

By

JOHN HARFORD

The fire which killed three persons sleeping at the Buller Unemployment Centre in Westport on Friday was an accident, the police said yesterday.

The man heading the inquiry, Detective Inspector Ron Cooper, of the Wellington C. 1.8., said there was no evidence that an accelerant had been used.

Fire-safety officers and a D.S.I.R. scientist spent much of yesterday examining the remains of the building.

The police had earlier treated the fire as arson after learning of written threats to members of the centre. The threats had been pinned to their doors and a parcel which looked like a bomb had been left at one address.

The notes are thought to be racist. The centre’s director, Mr Mike Duff, said yesterday that he had received a similar note about a year ago. The note threatened his life

because he was a Maori.

The fire was discovered about 11.30 p.m. on an upper floor at the rear of the building.

Two persons escaped by jumping from a window but at least another three died.

Mr Cooper said the remains of the victims would be sent to Christchurch for further examination and identification. The bodies had been so badly burned it was not possible to identify their sex. It is thought that two of the three who died were university students from Dunedin who were hitchhiking during the holidays. The other person is thought to be from the West Coast.

Their bodies were left

in the gutted building until yesterday afternoon so that a search for evidence of arson would not be disturbed. The three persons were found on a mattress on the upper floor.

The police had not ruled out the possibility of finding more bodies today when a more thorough search could be made. The centre had been used as sleeping quarters by itinerant people. No records had been kept of its occupants. Mr Cooper said it would take another day at least to complete the inquiries into the fire and the threats. A total of 23 detectives and uniformed police are working on the case. They have set up an office at the Westport courthouse.