Fire investigators will today continue their examination of a burnt-out chicken hatchery south of Auckland after a fierce blaze destroyed the building and about 200,000 fertilised eggs on Saturday.
About 68 firefighters and 15 appliances battled the blaze at the hatchery on Brown Rd in Tuakau after a staff member saw smoke coming out of the roof of the hatchery.
Fire safety officer Robert Watson said yesterday the cause had not yet been established, although there was nothing to indicate it was suspicious.
Mr Watson said he had heard of other hatchery fires which were started because of chicken faeces, which have a high ammonia content, eroding equipment and causing electrical problems.
The building, which was about 600sq metres, was totally destroyed in the blaze, Mr Watson said.
Initial reports were that up to 800,000 day-old chickens were burnt alive in the fire, but the company's chief executive, Stuart Weston, said this was not the case.
- NZPA
Investigators probing hatchery fire
Photo / Emma Wilson
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