Police are investigating a suspicious fire which damaged four vehicles at Invercargill’s Queens Park in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The trucks belonged to Christchurch company Treetech, which was assisting with storm recovery at the park.

A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency NZ said the incident was notified by Police at 12:18am and had been flagged as suspicious.

In a statement, Treetech chief executive Chris Walsh said it would be devastating for the team if the trucks had been set on fire intentionally.

“It's about a million dollars worth of damage, but we're pulling out all the stops to keep going."

Walsh said he was raised in Invercargill and started his climbing career in Queens Park, so the area was dear to his heart.

The site has been cordoned off, and a crime investigation is underway. Credit: Matthew Rosenberg/LDR

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Gear would arrive from other depots in the coming days so they could get back up and running, he said.

Invercargill City Council manager parks and recreation Caroline Rain said the incident happened at the park's maintenance yard and confirmed the area was now a crime investigation scene.

“We are still assessing the extent of the damage to the trucks and surrounding property, and working with Treetech on the next steps forward.

“This incident is incredibly disappointing, especially given the tireless work of our staff and contractors in recent weeks to ensure the trees in our parks and reserves were made safe for the community following October’s storm.”

On Wednesday morning, the site was cordoned off by a gate and emergency tape.

It was not clear how the incident would affect recovery, which included reopening the remaining closed part of the park, Rain said.

Queens Park suffered major damage when strong winds toppled trees in October.

Walsh believed the opening of Coronation Drive in Queens Park by Christmas may no longer be possible

Two fire investigators are working alongside Police.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air