CCTV footage seen by investigators shows two people left the Wellington house minutes before it turned into a huge blaze on Sunday night, police have said.
Police told 1 NEWS several witnesses have come forward and police have seen CCTV footage, which shows two people leaving the Newtown address separately where the fire originated at 10.30pm.
Police arrived on the scene at 10:38pm, locating an injured person outside. They were then made aware the property was on fire and proceeded to alert occupants of neighbouring properties they needed to evacuate.
Two of the houses have been burnt to the ground and deemed "total losses", two were significantly damaged, while several others have suffered minor damage from the heat.
In a statement from Wellington City Council, a spokesperson said Community Services staff have been assisting 11 residents from three families who were either left homeless or evacuated after the fire.
Initial inquiries into the background of the property have confirmed that the City Council had been actively working to manage the complaints from neighbours about the state of the property.
Police staff will remain on site for the next few days as an examination of the scene continues.
Inquiries into this incident are ongoing and anyone with further information is urged to call 105 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and quote the file number 210614/4572.
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