AC/DC fires up charity climber

Firefighters from Orlando, Florida, practising yesterday for the Sky Tower charity stair climb.

Australian rockers AC/DC provided the soundtrack for one of more than 300 firefighters who, weighed down with gear, raced up 51 floors of Auckland's Sky Tower for charity today.

The race, in its sixth year, was to raise money for the New Zealand Leukaemia and Blood Foundation (LBF).

A record 365 firefighters competed.

Participants must wear firefighting gear, which weights 25kg, to climb to the observatory of the tower.

Firefighters do their own fundraising.

LBF chief executive Pru Etcheverry said she was "very humbled" by the firefighters' fundraising efforts.

"There has been traditional bucket shaking, hangis, casino nights up north, stair climbs and head shaves - all sorts of things. "

The firefighters are timed over the 51-floor climb.

Volunteer firefighter Lisa McCallum of Waitakere's Bethells Valley station said AC/DC kept her going through the challenge.

"I had my iPod on listening to AC/DC Thunderstruck and I just rocked all the way up," she told NZPA.

Kamo firefighter Hamish Cate was one of about 50 firefighters down from Northland.

He said the race was like running up stairs in a sleeping bag with all his firefighting gear on.

- NZPA