Northland news in brief: House fire confirmed as arson; and Bark in the Park on again 12 Feb, 2021 04:00 PM 4 minutes to read A Whangārei firefighter dampening down the remains of a house in Kaka St, Ahipara, that was an arson attack. Northern Advocate The cause of a fire that ripped through an Ahipara home leaving little more than a rear wall standing was arson, Fire and Emergency New Zealand says. Fire investigator Craig Bain confirmed the fire, which started inside the Kaka St house on the lower level, was deliberately lit on Thursday. Bain said their inquiries were ongoing. The alarm was raised at 3.28am and fire brigades from Ahipara, Kaitaia, and Whangarei controlled the blaze as well as protected two neighbouring properties that were threatened at the height of the blaze. No one was home at the time of the fire. It was the seventh serious house fire in the Far North in the past two months.