Asbestos roof delays inquiry into St Lukes blaze

Smoke billowing from the Modus fire turned the sky black, one onlooker said. Photo / Janna Dixon

A property housing the company behind the lighting of major Auckland structures such as the Sky Tower and the war memorial museum was razed yesterday in a blaze that is being treated as suspicious.

The fire could be seen from several suburbs as thick black smoke billowed into the air above the Wagener Place building opposite St Lukes Mall from 10.45am, attracting dozens of onlookers.

The property used by Modus Architectural Lighting was well ablaze when firefighters arrived.

People who flocked to the short cul-de-sac reported seeing parts of the roof flying into the air as flames emerged.

Several said they were attracted to the scene by "crackling" sounds which they heard from several blocks away.

"The sky was black," said Jo Barry, who was more than 600m away in Shorwell St when the fire began.

"You could hear all the crackling."

Firefighters battled the blaze from above, using two aerial ladders to hose down the flames, as well as from within the building.

Fire Safety Officer Russell Dickson said a small section of roofing above the fire's source contained asbestos, which meant it was unsafe to go in to find out how the fire began.

It could be a day or so before investigators would know what had happened and "until we can prove otherwise, it's deemed suspicious".

More than 50 firefighters were sent to fight the blaze.

This meant the Fire Service had to reshuffle staff elsewhere to make sure the rest of the region had adequate firefighting resources in case another emergency occurred.

Detectives and St John Ambulance staff were also on standby at St Lukes.

A spokeswoman for Modus Architectural Lighting declined to comment yesterday.

The company is also responsible for the lighting on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the Princess Wharf development and at the Viaduct Harbour entertainment precinct.