Five people injured, including two volunteer firefighters, when portable home’s veranda collapsed during construction in Te Pōhue, Hawke’s Bay

Five people, including two volunteer firefighters, have been taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital after a veranda on a portable home collapsed on to them during construction in a rural part of the region.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said those injured had been erecting a structure on private land next door to the Te Pōhue Fire Station on Ohurakura Rd about 8.30am.

Two people were seriously injured, and three were in a moderate condition, a Hato Hone St John spokesperson said. Two ambulances and one helicopter responded, with the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter airlifting one person to Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

RNZ reported the mechanism lowering the veranda into place broke, causing the structure to fall on them.

Those injured, including two Te Pōhue volunteer firefighters, were “helping out a member of their community in a private capacity”, the Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said.

Fire crews from the remote station near State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō attended, as well crews from Napier, and Bay View.

Fire and Emergency NZ acting Hawke’s Bay manager Hamish Smith, who was not at the scene, said other local volunteer members were first at the scene next to their station and assisted with first aid.

No one had to be extricated or rescued, and a local said it appeared those at the scene had managed to get the fallen drop-side of the unit off some of those who had been hit.

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden said on X, formerly Twitter, she was aware of the incident and her heart went out to those who have been hurt, while also wishing them a speedy recovery.

A couple from the Netherlands, Vince Herman and Chantal Rikse, were staying in the Te Pōhue camp beside the fire station when they said they saw emergency services arrive up the camp’s winding road, about 300m up Ohurakura Rd from State Highway 5 on Thursday morning.

The scene, where five men had been injured helping erect a new containerised home was hidden from their view by trees and they didn’t want to disturb things, they said.

Locals said a call had earlier gone out on a local social media page on Wednesday for help installing the home on site.

* The headline on the first version of this article incorrectly said the incident happened at the fire station. The article has been amended to correct this.