Overnight job for Hutt firefighters
It was still unclear how a blaze at an asbestos-affected industrial building in Lower Hutt began yesterday.
However, firefighters and emergency crews were expected to continue dowsing the fire into last night with the possibility those operations could stretch into today.
The Chair Solutions building in Hutt Park Rd in Gracefield was well alight by about 6am yesterday, with more than a dozen fire crews in attendance.
Firefighters spent the day dampening down the area to mitigate the health risk of asbestos found at the site. In outdoor settings, asbestos fibres dispersed quickly and the health effects were considered low risk, Hutt City Council said.
‘‘The risk to neighbouring businesses from the site is, therefore, low; however, if you’re a business in the general vicinity we suggest keeping windows and doors closed and cleaning any dust on surfaces, shoes etc using a damp disposable cloth,’’ it said earlier in the day.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said the blaze had been contained to a single commercial premises but the cause was not yet known. It was the second in the SeaviewGracefield industrial area in as many weeks.
Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Murray Dunbar said the building was ‘‘totally involved’’ in the blaze when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters used aerial monitors – hoses mounted to remote controlled hydraulic booms – and ground monitors to fight the blaze. The collapsing roof and internal structure meant firefighters had to ‘‘attack’’ the fire from the outside.
No-one was inside the building at the time. A witness heading to work along Gracefield Rd saw the blaze as she went past the cordon. ‘‘There was a lot of smoke and when I drove past I could see the flames.’’
First reports of the fire came in at 6.09am, a spokesperson said.