Man charged with arson after intentional Gisborne house fire

In the quiet residential streets of Mangapapa, Gisborne, a deliberately lit fire this morning transformed an ordinary home into a scene of emergency and legal consequence. All residents escaped unharmed, spared by the swiftness of their evacuation and the response of a dozen firefighters who contained the blaze within forty minutes. By day's end, the smoke had cleared and a 39-year-old man faced an arson charge — a reminder that destruction, even when swift, rarely escapes accountability.