KEY POINTS:
The scene of a large hardware store fire in Auckland is being closed down until fire safety officers get test results back.
Several samples from the Mitre 10 shop in Onehunga, southwest of the city centre, have been removed today and fire safety officers hoped the results would be illuminating.
"We are currently closing down the scene until we get the results of those tests," fire safety officer Russell Dickson told NZPA.
"We want to make sure everything's done correctly."
Mr Dickson said he hoped the results would be ready by tomorrow morning. Once they were, investigators would be back at the scene.
Fire Service staff were yesterday wearing protective gear at the scene after health investigators found some asbestos contamination.
The Mitre 10 hardware exploded in flames late on Monday afternoon. Within minutes it was a flaming inferno as gas bottles, paint, kerosine, methylated spirits and numerous other hardware lines fed the ferocious fire which sent up a huge pall of black smoke.
Around 80 firefighters and more than 20 fire appliances battled the blaze for three hours.
Mr Dickson said the building had a very high fire loading because of the contents of the hardware shop and there were no sprinklers. The fire raced very quickly until it met a solid concrete fire wall, which essentially stopped it.
Fire engineers have been constantly pushing for sprinkler systems in such buildings.
Power was cut to the area and several roads nearby, including the motorway to the airport, were closed.
The closure caused chaos for peak-hour traffic leaving the city at the end of the business day and for people trying to get to the airport.
The fire stretched resources as firefighters also dealt with a major gas leak in New Lynn and an apartment fire in the central city.
- NZPA
