17 Aug 2025

Extra firefighters called in to house fire in Palmerston North

5:54 pm on 17 August 2025
Smoke rising above Main Street Palmerston North, on Sunday 17 August, 2025.

Smoke rising above Main Street Palmerston North. Photo: Supplied

A man has been arrested and charged for a housefire in Palmerston North on Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters and police were called to a home on fire on Main Street just before 4pm.

Police said a man they believed was holding a weapon has been taken into custody and treated for smoke inhalation.

The 26-year-old faces two charges of wilfully setting fire to a property and a charge of possessing a weapon.

He is due to appear in the Palmertson North District Court on Monday.

Police will remain at the scene overnight.

The house was "well involved" in flames, when two crews arrived and a third crew was called in, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.

Initially, two nearby houses were reportedly on fire, but firefighters investigating the second house found it was not on fire and smoke there came from a pot on the stove.

Smoke rising above Main Street Palmerston North, on Sunday 17 August, 2025.

Photo: Supplied

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