Auckland, Feb 21 NZPA - Police are looking to identify a group of people who were at the scene of a fire that gutted a Napier motel unit.

Detective John McGregor said today that their presence meant the fire at the Tamatea Motor Inn early yesterday morning was being treated as suspicious.

Police expected to be in contact tomorrow with fire safety officers, who were at the scene yesterday to try to establish the cause of the fire.

Mr McGregor said the fire, which happened about 1.30am, was confined to one unit.

"It's built of concrete block and structurally it's still sound, but it was gutted inside," he said.

A Fire Service spokesman in Napier said alarm systems in the room alerted firefighters, who were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread.