Man caught on camera as car yard explodes
A man suspected of starting an explosive fire in a West Auckland car yard early yesterday morning was caught on camera, the yard owner says.
The fireball and massive plume of smoke at Select Wheels Ltd around 1am sparked multiple emergency calls from the public.
Vinay Khullar owns the dealership off Cambridge Lane in New Lynn, behind Bunnings Warehouse.
The company buys damaged vehicles from New Zealand and Australia and repairs them for sale. It has old vehicles in a corner of the yard to use for parts — it was those cars that went up in flames yesterday morning, causing a widely heard explosion.
Khullar said CCTV footage shows a man walking in around midnight, looking at various cars.
He believes more people were involved but they were not caught on camera.
About once a month people break in to the yard and steal car parts, Khullar said.
The man’s face was caught on camera on entry, although he had later covered his face with a hoodie.
Khullar was thankful the fire had been started in the corner by the wrecked cars area and had not affected the building, which is shared with other businesses.
But Khullar was surprised by the strength of the explosion, which members of the public reported as sounding like gunshots.
Petrol was not usually left in the cars but there could have been some residue in the fuel tanks, he said.
The burned vehicles were not insured but could still be sold for scrap metal, he said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Marcia Murray, of the Waitemata¯ CIB, said police were called to the fire at 1.07am.
“At this stage we are considering the fire as suspicious and are working with Fire and Emergency investigators as part of our inquiries.”