Blaze at cafe next to NZ's oldest building 'suspicious', FENZ says
A fire at a cafe adjacent to New Zealand's oldest building, Kemp House, is being treated as suspicious by authorities. Firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to the historic heritage site.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the vulnerability of historic landmarks and the importance of emergency response in preserving cultural heritage.
<p>A fire at a cafe next to New Zealand's oldest surviving building is being investigated as suspicious.</p> <p><b>By Peter de Graaf for </b><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/emergencies_local/1267293/blaze-at-cafe-next-to-new-zealand-s-oldest-building-suspicious-fenz-says" target="_blank"><b>RNZ</b></a></p> <p>A café situated just metres from New Zealand's oldest surviving building has been damaged in an overnight blaze, but volunteer firefighters managed to stop the flames from spreading to 204-year-old Kemp House at Kerikeri Basin.</p> <p>Police are investigating the blaze, which started in a storage shed next to Honey House Café around 11.30pm on Friday.</p> <p>The shed was destroyed, one wall of the café was burned, and its water pipes and electrical cables were badly damaged.</p> <p>The two-storey Honey House has the café on the ground level and offices for Heritage New Zealand upstairs</p> <p>The business is next to Kemp House, which was built between 1821 and 1822 by missionaries, and was an important focus for early relationships between Māori and Pākehā.</p> <p>Another heritage building,…
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