A 12-year-old has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire at an East Auckland McDonald’s restaurant last month.

Counties Manukau East CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Dean Batey said the school-age child had been arrested and charged with allegedly causing the blaze.

“This young person has appeared in the Manukau Youth Court and is currently on court bail conditions,” Batey said.

“Police appreciate the fire has been of high interest to the local community.

“We are not able to comment further around the circumstances of the alleged offending, however police cannot rule out any further arrests in relation to the matter.”

A witness called the fire at the playground at the back of Pakuranga McDonald's "intense". Photo / supplied

The fire spewed smoke across Pakuranga on May 5, forcing the closure of a major road in both directions.

Witnesses said they heard explosions and thought the fire had started from the playground attached to the restaurant.

The intense fire tore through Pakuranga McDonald’s around 3pm, with flames leaping up the restaurant’s windows, and plumes of thick, black smoke billowing from the building.

At the height of the fire a staff member at the nearby petrol station told the Herald he could see plumes of smoke coming from the nearby McDonald’s.

Nine-year-old Auckland schoolgirl, Harper Davis, was hailed as a hero after spotting a flicker of fire in the playground and alerting staff minutes before it erupted into the massive blaze.