A building at ProKarts Nelson was destroyed by fire on Sunday night. The Nelson Fire Service says arson hasn’t been ruled out as a potential cause. Photo: Phillip Rollo.

Arsonist could be behind kart track fire

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ProKarts Nelson owner Nick Fowler could be forgiven for watching on in despair as his business went up in flames.

But his actions helped save a neighbouring building and thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.

Nelson fire senior officer Craig Davies says Nick was a huge help for them.

“When we arrived the owner was there and he was fairly upset, but he assisted us greatly in mitigating the damage by explaining where things were. He was a great help.”

The Fire Service were called to the fire at 12.05am on Monday morning. When they arrived it was fully ablaze. Craig says it was a difficult situation. “We were hampered by the water supply being a couple of hundred metres away and knowing there were things like fuel, tyres and karts in the building.”

The neighbouring building that was saved was also used by ProKarts to store equipment.

Craig says the fire is suspicious as there were three other small fires in the area, including one behind the skating rink. “We suspect arson, but we can’t confirm that yet. We have investigators there today [Monday],” he says.