Matua Hall is lucky to be standing and intact after a deliberately lit fire came within one metre of it this morning.

Matua Residents Association chairperson Richard Kluit assesses damage to the Matua Hall sign.

Fire fighters rushed to the scene on Levers Road in Matua at about 2.20am after receiving numerous calls about a sign on fire outside the hall.

Tauranga senior station officer Mark Keller says the flames were very close to the hall when they arrived.

'It did put the building at risk because it was very close. The side of the building was very hot. It could have very easily caught fire.”

It only took minutes for fire fighters to extinguish the fire.
The Matua Hall sign was completely destroyed and the incident is referred to police.

Matua Residents Association chairperson Richard Kluit was at the scene assessing the damage this morning.
'The main concern was the fact that it was deliberately lit by an accelerant and it's right beside the building proper, so it looks like it might be the start of someone's arson career.”

In a separate incident, Katikati fire fighters were called to a shelter belt on fire on Tanners Point Road.

The fire occurred at about 8.16pm on Wednesday.

Fire fighters from Athenree and Waihi also responded.

Katikati fire fighter Brendan Gibbs says the fire burnt a 35 metre stretch of shelter belt.

He says it was sparked by a rubbish fire burning nearby.

'In the first 10 minutes we had it under control, but we were probably there for another 30 minutes.

'Getting all the hot spots was the hardest part.”

Fire fighters used over 3000 litres of water to extinguish the blaze.