Blaze damages Mangawhai industrial building
A quick response from Northland volunteer firefighters prevented a blaze at a Mangawhai building materials and hardware store from escalating into a major inferno.
The Mangawhai Volunteer Fire Brigade were the first on scene at PlaceMakers Mangawhai in Moir Rd, where a “well-involved” large blaze was tearing through the 40x30sq m building about 9.15 on Thursday night.
Flames had shattered windows on the building and were continuing to pour out when firefighters arrived — only 100m away from the Mangawhai Fire Station.
Chief fire officer Rob Leslie said the building materials inside the store were the most hazardous materials they had encountered at a fire in a long time.
“It was a big event for us but it could’ve been a whole lot worse,” he said.
Leslie had quickly raised a second alarm that brought volunteer fire crews from Paparoa, Maungaturoto, Waipu and as far north as Kawakawa rush to battle the blaze. Water was supplied by two tankers and local business The Waterboy Mangawhai Contractors.
“It was great working with all of the brigades — we all worked really well together,” he said.
Residents could hear “crackling” and see smoke but Leslie said the quick response from the brigades meant homes — some less than 20m away — did not need to be evacuated.
The inferno was under control within 30 minutes but a further four hours were needed to dampen hotspots and cool down gas bottles that were outside the store.
Yesterday employees had gathered outside the closed store to show their support as Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigators looked into the cause of the blaze, which was still being determined.
Leslie said it was good to be able to support PlaceMakers because the store had supported the fundraising of a Mangawhai Fire Station, which opened in November 2019.