RNZ
03 March 2025, 4:30 PM
The cause of the Roxburgh town hall fire in Central Otago can not be determined, Fire and Emergency investigators say.
A blaze gutted the building that was home to an 128-year-old cinema on Waitangi Day.
The movie theatre was first built in 1893 and had previously been part of a Guinness World Records claim of possibly being "longest continuously running movie theatre in the world".
The fire came only a month after the building avoided major damage during a fire in January.
Risk Reductions Advisor John Smalls said the cause can not be identified due to the extensive damage to the building.
"We're really thankful to the community for the fantastic response we got when we asked for information, images and footage of the fire," he said.
"These contributions helped us confirm that the fire is highly unlikely to have had a suspicious cause."
NEWS