After more than four hours, firefighters are still battling to control an inferno on top of Auckland's SkyCity Convention Centre, flames spreading to other parts of the construction site.
A worker who went on a smoko break, leaving a blowtorch unattended, is believed to have sparked a massive inferno on top of the $700 million building.
Downtown Auckland is filled with billowing black smoke - which police warn could be toxic. Nearby buildings have been forced to shut down their air conditioning systems.