Firefighters keep city block intact

A businessman has praised firefighters who battled for hours to overcome a blaze which threatened to engulf an entire city block.

Optometrist Jack Crawford was forced to flee his premises on Moray Place, Dunedin, after the building next door went up in flames.

Mr Crawford and his staff saw the flames appear to take hold on the second floor of the five-storey Bracken Court building.

"The flames were just gushing out ... within minutes there was thick acrid smoke, heat, breaking glass and just chaos," Mr Crawford said.

"The Fire Service did a tremendous job to save the city block. Because of the way the building butted against other buildings, there was every chance they could have gone up.

"The wind was blowing flames in our direction but firefighters were able to stop it," he told National Radio.

The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon, took five hours to extinguish and crews were left on standby overnight.

A Fire Service investigation was continuing, Dunedin's chief fire officer, Dave Seque, said.

"We couldn't even begin to guess at the cause. We'll be interviewing residents and witnesses," he said.

If there turned out to be anything suspicious about the blaze, police would be called back in.

Five firefighters were taken to hospital with minor burns and injuries and one was kept there overnight with a burnt ear, he said.

Mr Seque said three other high-rise buildings were damaged and were at one stage threatened by the fire.

"It was a very quick response. All of Dunedin's paid firefighters were at the scene, while volunteer brigades from around Otago moved in to cover the city," Mr Seque said.

Half the crews at Moray Place worked on the blaze, while the other half protected surrounding buildings.

Dunedin police said the street was still cordoned off yesterday and police would "keep the crowds away".

There was nothing yet to indicate the fire was suspicious, a police spokesman said.

- NZPA