Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
An elderly man injured in a fire at a block of flats in Stokes Valley last week has died.
The victim was 82-year-old Ian David Moller, of Stokes Valley, police said on Monday, and a homicide investigation has been launched.
The Hanson Grove building was set alight in the early hours of Tuesday, 5 November - the third arson at the property inside a month.
Moller's niece, Denise Harrison, said the family was sad Moller had died in such tragic circumstances and they were "heartbroken".
"He was a very quiet man who went to church and spent time with his friends and he was never a bother to anybody," she said.
"So to have his life ended so tragically is just completely heartbreaking for all of us."
She said a funeral date was not yet decided as an autopsy had to be completed first.
A 21-year-old has been charged in relation to the first arson, police said, but it was not clear yet if he had any links to the second and third blazes.
"We are still seeking the public's assistance in helping us establish what has occurred, why it has occurred and identify those persons responsible for each," Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said.
"Police believe there is a strong possibility that there could be other people involved."
Ryan said Moller was "an elderly man who deserved to live out his last years in a safe place, in the heart of the community he loved".
"There will be people in our close Stokes Valley community who will know who lit these fires or hold vital information that could assist us. We are urging anyone who has information, no matter how small you think that piece of information might be, to come and speak with us."
Police were still looking for information about a vehicle and a cyclist seen in the area on 5 November. Anyone that can help was urged to call 105 or go online and use the reference number 241105/2249 and quote Operation SOVE, or call Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
