Armed police have cordoned off a rural road north of Masterton as the investigation into multiple suspicious fires at churches in the area continues.
Four Masterton churches suffered damage ranging from “moderate to significant” on Saturday in a group of suspicious fires.
The churches affected were the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Masterton Baptist Church, and Equippers Church Masterton.
Police said it sighted a vehicle of interest at around 9.15am this morning.
“After area enquiries the vehicle has then been located abandoned a short distance away at about 11am. Cordons are in place while police work to locate the occupant,” a spokesperson said, also confirming that the Armed Offenders Squad were present at the scene on Mikimiki Rd.
Crews responded to the fires on Saturday morning from across the Wairarapa region and from as far away as Avalon Station in Lower Hutt.
The blazes were believed to have started between 4.25am and 4.35am. (Source: 1News)
Police said officers carried out checks at other churches in the town on Saturday morning — and located evidence to suggest three further churches were targeted but did not catch alight.
“It does look as if they’ve used petrol bombs [for at least some of the churches],” a police spokesperson said.
“The great thing about this is no one’s been injured.”
Senior station officer Ian Wright said firefighters arrived at the first church fire within three minutes.
He said it was a challenge to deal with several fires at once.
“It’s not something we encounter very often, thankfully, but firefighters do what firefighters do. We pivot and we arrange, and we organise and respond.”
