Roxburgh Town Hall fire

The story so far

A fire on 5 February 2025 gutted the historic Roxburgh Town Hall in Central Otago and caused part of its roof to collapse.^{6 Feb 2025} The building housed a 128-year-old cinema, thought to be the world's longest-running, which was also destroyed.^{6, 7, 8 Feb 2025} The fire followed a smaller accidental electrical fire at the site in January.^{7 Feb 2025} Eight firefighting crews attended, and the site remained too dangerous for anyone to enter.^{7, 8 Feb 2025} In early March, Fire and Emergency investigators said the cause could not be determined because of the extent of the damage.^{3 Mar 2025}

Latest

On 3 March, Fire and Emergency investigators said the cause of the fire cannot be identified due to the extensive damage.^{3 Mar 2025}

Key moments

1. 6 Feb 2025Fire gutters historic Roxburgh Town Hall; part of roof collapses.
2. 7 Feb 2025Blaze follows a smaller accidental electrical fire at the site in January.
3. 8 Feb 2025Eight crews attend; 128-year-old cinema destroyed, possibly longest continuous run.
4. 3 Mar 2025Investigators say the cause cannot be determined due to extensive damage.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.