NZ firefighters battle into night to control massive blaze

WELLINGTON: A massive fire at an under-construction convention centre in Auckland caused no casualties, according to emergency services, but the smoke billowing across New Zealand’s largest city prompted authorities to issue a health warning.

The alarm was first raised at around noon, and hours later, with night falling, firefighters were still battling to put out the blaze which began on the roof of the SkyCity

Convention Centre, a building large enough to cover four rugby fields.

Owned by New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group, the construction project, valued at US$452mil (RM1.9bil) was reckoned by media and analysts to be the biggest currently underway in New Zealand.

“There have been no reported injuries,” SkyCity said on Twitter, adding that everyone was evacuated from the centre.

The nearby Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest building, a tourist attraction that accommodates hotels and offices, and a casino were also shut until further notice, the company said.

Around 23 fire trucks had joined the operation and fire services expected to work through the night. Earlier in the day firefighters were seen on the roof of the centre desperately trying to extinguish the flames. Witnesses posted videos of the blaze on Twitter.

“It’s a very, very difficult fire to extinguish,” Dave Woon, spokesman for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, told reporters.

“We are not on top of the fire but with the resources that have just arrived we should be able to make progress.

“We don’t have any injuries at the moment and also we don’t have anybody missing,” he added.

— AFP City in danger: A huge fire at a construction site sent clouds of acrid black smoke billowing over the city of Auckland forcing large parts of the downtown area to be cordoned off as firefighters battled the blaze near the SkyCity convention centre.