The cause of a fire which devastated Auckland gay nightclub Flesh just before New Year's has still not been determined, although the blaze continues to be investigated by Auckland Central police. Senior Sergeant Tony Miller says media reports earlier in the year which described the incident as a firebomb attack are inaccurate. “We've determined that no accelerant was used,” he told GayNZ.com. “It's possible, although this is just a guess, that it could have been caused by a careless cigarette.” Investigating officers are not releasing information on possible suspects at this stage, but maintained at the time of the fire that there was no evidence it was the result of a hate crime. The delay in the investigation is the result of a resourcing issue –several homicide enquiries currently taking place in the district means solving the Flesh fire is a lower priority. In the meantime, despite several tentative dates being announced, Flesh has still not re-opened in its original location, and is continuing to operate out of temporary premises elsewhere in the city.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 4th August 2005 - 12:00pm