A teenager who set fire to the Waipā Tavern has been referred to youth aid.
The historic Ngāruawāhia pub burnt down in June and police believed from the outset that it was a deliberate act.
Four other youths were identified as being present at the time of the fire, but they will not be charged, a police spokesperson said.
At the time of the fire on June 5 at 2am, Fire and Emergency said the blaze caused significant damage, but there were no injuries at the empty building.
RAEGAN MAISEY/SUPPLIED
Images provided by Raegan Maisey show the Waipā Hotel in Ngāruawāhia fully ablaze in June
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Five fire trucks, two ladder trucks and a number of support vehicles were sent. About 30 firefighters were needed for the 80m-by-40m building.
Company director Greig Metcalfe previously said the site will be redeveloped.
“We hope to do something to complement the future of Ngāruawāhia on that site,” Metcalfe said.
Hamilton historian and heritage consultant Laura Kellaway said the old Waipā Hotel, built in the late 1800s, had burnt down in 1917, ironically weeks after public comment about it being in poor condition. Its brick replacement got going as a hotel by 1919, she believed.
The Waipā Tavern’s destruction meant the Delta was the last remaining historic pub in the town.
