Factory fire came close to sulphur store
Firefighters stopped a blaze just metres from a sulphur store, preventing further evacuations in the area around a burning Christchurch fertiliser factory.
Plumes of black smoke were seen across the city and explosions heard by those nearby as the fire took hold in the Ravensdown factory on Main South Rd, Hornby, about 10.15am yesterday.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman (Fenz) said about 40 firefighters and 10 trucks worked to contain the blaze, which burned through framing and cladding.
Maintenance work was being carried out on the building when the fire happened. The smoke was mostly created by burning rubber from a conveyor belt. No chemicals were involved, the spokesman said.
Fenz assistant area commander Steve Kennedy said the conveyor belt ran through the length of the building and helped spread the fire through about a third of the roof structure.
‘‘Once we got a fire up in the framing of the building and the roofing and the exterior cladding, it’s going to catch on to that conveyor and spread along through there.’’
Firefighters did a ‘‘great job’’ in stopping the fire spreading into a nearby sulphur store.
‘‘It came within metres of the sulphur store, which would have required [further] evacuations.’’
The fire was now contained, and firefighters were checking for hot spots. An investigation would begin once the fire was completely out, Kennedy said.
Ravensdown chief executive officer Greg Campbell said it was unclear what caused the fire, which started at the end of the storage store, but staff on site told him it could be related to the conveyor belt.
The 14-hectare plant stored and manufactured various agricultural products. It did not house any nitrates or explosives, he said.
Fifty-seven staff were evacuated from the facility as a precaution. ‘‘We’re not quite sure what the issue is at this point in time but what I can tell you is our staff are safe, they’re all accounted for and the response from emergency services has been outstanding and I’m really pleased with how our team has responded.’’
A Ravensdown spokesman said staff had been sent home for the day. ‘‘We will figure out later on what the situation is for the people who work in the factory.’’
Ravensdown has operated at the site since 1922.