‘Undetermined’: Investigating the cause of a blaze that left a former scout hall in ruins

Saturday, 11 July 2026

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

A vacant Roslyn Scout Group Hall on School Street in Dunedin was destroyed by fire on January 14, 2026, with the cause remaining undetermined.

The two-storey weatherboard building had no electricity connected, with the electrical meter removed and power isolated before the fire occurred.

A fire investigator found the entrance door open and noted the building had a history of break-ins by juveniles before the blaze.

A vacant former scout hall, with no electricity but a frequent target of youths, was destroyed in a fire, along with evidence over the source of ignition. This article follows the findings of the fire investigator’s report.

The blaze in the Roslyn Scout Group Hall on School St, in the Dunedin suburb of Roslyn, was first reported on January 14, 2026, at 3.35pm.

A fire broke out in the former Roslyn Scout Hall on January 14.

It was reported via a 111 call and then by a member of the public, who notified the nearby Roslyn Fire Station after spotting smoke.

Those firefighters arrived quickly at the scene, with a second appliance arriving 10 minutes later as the fire began to take hold of the two-storey weatherboard property.

A fire fighter on a ladder tackles the blaze from above.

More fire appliance and firefighters were called, alongside police for traffic control. But also called to the scene were detectives, alongside Matt Jones, a specialist fire investigator for Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

His report, which has been released to Stuff under the Official Information Act, noted that upon arrival the side of the structure appeared intact.

“However, active fire was observed venting from the roller door area on the lower level, as well as from the upper floor of the building.”

Arrows show fire patterns from the window of the western side of the building.

That same roller door exhibited notable fire damage, indicating the fire had vented from this location.

“This area subsequently experienced structural collapse shortly after my arrival.”

Fire fighters assist each other at the scene.

The same report noted that the entrance door, in the southeast corner of the building, was found in an open position.

An investigation into the fire was launched.

The full collapse of the building, with the western side showing the most damage, did not allow a full examination due to safety concerns.

But Jones’ observations included the outward bowing of a wall due to the collapse of the central roof structure.

Two photos side-by-side show the destructive nature of the fire.

An aerial view of the remains of the building.

Firefighters continued to dampen down hotspots the following day. An excavator was also used to open the building to allow access to deep-seated fire areas, and to “facilitate complete extinguishment, due to the structural instability of the building”.

A smashed window from an earliuer break-in at the site.

While the investigation of the internal part of the building was limited, the fire investigator noted the first floor area sustained the most fire damage. The basement area was largely intact, indicating the fire did not start there.

Jones’ report noted that the fire appeared to have spread from the northwestern area on the first floor, before extending south and then vertically through the building.

He was able to examine the electrical switchboard after it had been removed. All switches were in the “off” position, while the fuses remained intact.

While it was damaged, that was consistent with exposure to fire.

“There were no identifiable signs of electrical faulting or arcing.”

Furthermore, the electrical meter had been removed prior to the fire, and the cabling indicated disconnection, confirming that power had been isolated to the building at the time of the incident.

Other fire damaged items, including electrical appliances and gas cylinders, had been exposed to the fire, but there was no evidence to suggest they were involved in the initiation of the blaze.

He assessed the fire at starting on the first floor, which had the most severe fire damage coupled with comparatively less damage in other areas supported that conclusion.

The structural collapse of the building meant the ignition source, and the exact circumstances of ignition remain unknown.

It was noted that the building was known to be insecure, having been subject to multiple break-ins, with windows/doors previously being forced or damaged.

“There was also a reported history of juveniles entering and playing within the building, indicating ongoing unauthorised human activity on the property.”

For Fenz statistical purposes, the cause of the fire has been classified as undetermined.