A loader at North port in Marsden Pt was destroyed in a fire over the weekend.
Mechanical or electrical fault is believed to have caused the fire and despite the presence of three fire appliances at the scene, the machine could not be saved. The incident happened just before 3pm on Saturday.
Ruakaka fire brigade station officer, Jeff Doth, said luckily a worker at the port alerted the loader operator of the fire and he managed to escape unhurt. He said the driver was unable to notice the fire on time as the machine's engine was situated at the back.
A fire truck from the New Zealand Refinery was at the scene first before two appliances from Ruakaka were called.
The loader was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.