KEY POINTS:
North Island shoppers are not likely to be left scratching around for chicken after fire destroyed the Christchurch processing plant operated by the country's largest poultry producer, Tegel.
The plant was one of three major facilities operated by Tegel Foods to process chickens and turkeys but a spokesman said contingency plans were being implemented to ensure customer supply was back to normal as soon as possible.
"Customer supply in the North Island will not be affected. Some South Island customers may, however, be affected for a short period ..."
The blaze tore through the 100m x 50m building early yesterday, sending plumes of thick black smoke billowing over the nearby neighbourhood.
Residents with breathing problems were advised to stay in their homes.
A building adjoining the processing plant was also damaged by the fire.
The first alarm was triggered at 4.13am and every available Christchurch firefighter was sent to the blaze, the largest in the city in more than a year. Crews remained on site throughout yesterday to deal with fire "pockets" and dampen down hotspots.
Workers had been evacuated and no people or birds were injured. The cause of fire is under investigation, but it is not believed to be suspicious.
Three hundred workers at the plant were sent home on full pay. The future for about 80 staff working in the gutted processing building was unclear yesterday.
Tegel said it was assessing "alternative processing options" which could be carried out in other parts of the Christchurch site.
"We will be working closely with staff and unions, who are affected by temporary changes to their working arrangements such as shift patterns and usual work locations."
The absence of sprinklers in the burnt-out building was highlighted by the Fire Service. "We would very much like to see sprinkler protection in a fire like this," said Fire Region Commander Rob Saunders.
"There was an early warning from a fire [alarm] protection system, but the fire was able to progress because of the lack of a sprinkler system."
Mr Saunders said the intensity of the fire and complex layout of the plant meant firefighters could not initially get inside the building to tackle it. Two aerial appliances were used, along with 10 regular fire pumps.
Most of the buildings on the site were unaffected the fire.
Nichola Moore lives two blocks away from the Tegel plant and was woken by her upset dog about 4.30am.
When she opened her door, thick black smoke was hanging in the air.
"We came down to have a look and there were flames shooting over the building. The smell of the fire was potent. There was an ambulance here, and police and the roads were blocked off," Ms Moore said. "I just hope they can rebuild it. There are a lot of people around here who are locals who work at Tegel."
