A fire that razed a Masterton home to the ground early on Sunday morning is being treated as suspicious, police say.
Neighbours said they heard bangs and saw flames as fire services responded to the scene on Albert St just before 1am.
The blaze took fire officers almost six hours to put out.
The house had been completely gutted, with only the front walls still standing.
The driveway had been taped off and investigators were at the scene for most of the day.
“Police were called to a house fire on Albert St, Masterton, about 1:15am,” a police spokesperson said.
“The fire is being treated as suspicious and enquiries are ongoing.”
A Masterton fire station officer said the fire took crews from two stations to bring under control.
“Multiple crews from Carterton and Masterton responded to a structure fire in the early hours of the morning.
“There were no fatalities. It took several hours and is under investigation.”
A neighbour who shared a fence with the property said he didn’t know the house was on fire until the next day.
“I was in bed and I heard bangs at about 1:30 am, but I didn’t think much of it because it’s a Saturday night.
“Today I came out at about 12:30 for a cigarette and there was nothing left to see.
“There was a family that lived there, I’m not sure what’s happened to them.”
Another neighbour said he saw the flames.
“I saw the flames above the house and the fire trucks.
“I expect the police will want to come and talk to me, but nobody has spoken to me yet.”
