Emergency services have been called to a suspicious house fire in Phillipstown.

They received a call to the Bordesley Street address at 2.40PM.

The house is abandoned and suffered another blaze several weeks ago residents said.

A local, who didn’t want to be named, said they saw two students from Te Aratai College (formerly called Linwood High) enter the house.

“A short time later I saw them running away from the scene and thought here we go again.

They were even in their school uniform, it’s like they just don’t care.”

The resident said the property had been purchased by an Auckland based developer.

“We’ve contacted the Christchurch City Council who seem pretty powerless to act.”

The resident said the council did issue a notice to the developer to pull the house down, but said she had lost faith in the process.

“Let’s see what happens, but I doubt anything will happen.”

A police patrol car has blocked off Bordesley Street near Harrow Street.