Young worker at centre of fire probe
AUCKLAND: A teenager — possibly an apprentice — is believed to have accidentally left unattended the blowtorch that sparked the SkyCity fire, bringing central Auckland to a standstill.
A wellplaced source told The New Zealand Herald the teenager, who was working for a subcontractor, was called for a smoko break and only remembered when he was away from the roof that he may have forgotten to turn off the gas blowtorch being used to help install waterproof membrane.
The source understood he was returning to the roof to check the blowtorch but by then the fire had started.
‘‘The poor guy is in tatters . . . He’s completely shattered.’’
The fire in the $700 million convention centre burned for days — and it is not yet certain what will become of the structure.
It is understood part of the investigation will look at supervision and experience of the workers on the roof.
SkyCity Entertainment Group chief executive Graeme Stephens said there were surveillance cameras operating in the precinct but he did not know how the fire started last Tuesday.
He was however concerned about the worker who is alleged to have been involved.
‘‘We have been worried about that person.
‘‘We have a genuine concern for their mental health and wellbeing.’’
MPM Waterproofing Services general manager Andrew Pardington said that afternoon he had a team of up to 12 waterproofers at the convention centre when the blaze broke out.
He had a debriefing with them afterwards but would not say what was discussed in regards to how the fire started.
When asked specifically if a worker left a blowtorch on while having a break he said: ‘‘From my understanding that’s not what happened but there was a whole lot of conversation heard on site, but really it should be left to the investigating team to find out what happened.’’
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Auckland region manager Ron Devlin said yesterday two fire crews remained at the scene.
The last flareup was 6pm on Monday. Mr Devlin said 10 agencies, including police, insurers, and other government agencies, were investigating the cause of the fire.
It was not known how long the investigation would take, he said. — The New Zealand Herald