Crews battling fire at Dunedin scout hall

Wednesday, 14 January 2026

The blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon at the Roslyn Scout Group Hall on School St in the suburb of Kaikorai.

A fire fighter climbed a tall ladder before tackling a large blaze that has all but destroyed a Dunedin scout hall.

That fire broke out some time before 3.40pm on Wednesday at the Roslyn Scout Group Hall on School St, in the suburb of Kaikorai.

Residents were urged to stay indoors and close their windows due to the smoke in the area.

At the scene, Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) senior station officer Peter Brosnan told Stuff that the fire was well involved, requiring four pumps, an aerial appliance and multiple support vehicles.

Due to the age of the building, firefighters were tackling the blaze from outside, which also had access issues.

A firefighter on a ladder tackles the blaze.

It was too early to talk about a cause of the fire, he said.

A light rain began to fall, as a sole fire fighter battled the blaze from the ladder on top of the aerial appliance, which can reach up to 32m in height.

The Roslyn Scout Hall was difficult to access.

Firefighters assist each other at the scene.

Earlier, Fenz said they received no call out to the fire, with one of their trucks happening to stumble upon it when out driving.

The crew saw smoke and, after going to investigate, found the hall “well ablaze”.

Stuart St, a busy thoroughfare for the city, was blocked at one end, with traffic diverted through Roslyn Village.

A mobile alert was sent out to residents in the Kaikorai area advising them to stay indoors and close all windows due to the smoke.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

A person at the scene said the hall was recently sold.