One of the men working on an upper level of the New Zealand International Convention Centre building site at SkyCity says a crane operator working above the roof was among the first to spot the burgeoning fire and raise the alarm.
Craig Merz was part of a team installing a building maintenance unit on an area between levels five and six of the seven-storey building.
![Former fireman Craig Merz was in a team installing a building maintenance unit on SkyCity's new convention centre when he was alerted to the fire by the crane operator above him. Photo / Michael Craig](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/V7QGPPRSIQ3YFRWZDGFBSZEY4U.jpg?auth=6c9d85a7db62b024a1ac9c4b224f714c5c269026208fcc4f66c8e9b428aff34d&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
He was waiting for the crane to swing the next load their way when instead the operator started sounding his emergency horn.
"We looked up to see what was going on - he pointed behind us and we saw rolls of black smoke. I said 'Ross, we gotta get outta here now'."