Invercargill towing company Auto Salvage lost the largest truck in its fleet to a suspected arson attack.
The $130,000 Skoda went up in flames early on Thursday morning, Stuff reports.
Auto Salvage manager Melvin Butler says it is fortunate a passerby phoned the fire brigade straight away.
“If it hadn’t been for them calling in such a hurry, it could have been a lot worse.
“We had a trailer on the back of that truck, so it could have burnt the trailer or the two trucks right beside it.”
A fire investigation team deemed the cause of the fire as suspicious.
He says vandalism has been increasing throughout the year.
“We’ve had grease put in our brake fluid, we’ve had smashed back windows and front windows in our trucks … and now it’s gone from that to burning them out.”
Police inquiries into the incident are still ongoing.
