Meth lab catches fire during police search

File photo / NZ Herald

Police are grateful nobody was hurt when a rural Taranaki meth lab burst into flames during a police search this morning.

Two officers had gone to a house in Pihama to execute an unrelated search warrant when they smelled a strange odour coming from the garage, Inspector Frank Grant of Hawera police said.

"They noticed some strange-looking substances inside the garage, they heard some noise and located two people inside the garage," he said.

"They came out and the garage caught fire almost immediately."

Police detained the pair from the garage and firefighters were called to put out the blaze.

The garage was found to have contained a methamphetamine lab and a police clan lab team was called in.

Mr Grant said everyone at the scene had to be decontaminated.

It was lucky nobody was hurt.

"The key result, I guess we're looking for, is that nobody's injured."

There was no indication of how long the meth lab had been in operation, and it was too early to say whether it was a gang-related.

Inquiries were continuing and charges were likely to follow.

The person police had been seeking at the address, who faces dishonesty charges, was not found.