Two local men have been arrested for arson in Nelson overnight.
Detective Superintendent Peter Read says in a statement these matters are separate and unrelated to each other, and are not related to the current fires in the area.
A 27-year-old will be charged with setting fire to rubbish skips around the Nelson CBD from December 2018 to January 2019.
A 24-year-old man will be charged with two arsons, relating to setting fire to a rubbish skip behind a Nelson restaurant, and setting fire to a residential Nelson flat, as well as breaking into cars.
Speaking at a news conference on the wild fires this morning, Det Supt Read called the skip arsons "incredibly stupid".
"What a dumb thing to do," Det Supt said.
"As far as police are aware, the two men are unknown to each other and acted independently," he said in a statement.
The pair will appear in the Nelson District Court this week.
Newshub.
