KEY POINTS:
A large fire which injured two people at the Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill in south Waikato is now under control.
The fire began at 2.30pm yesterday and at its peak there were about 19 appliances, a helicopter and more than 80 firefighters from as far afield as Taupo, Hamilton and Tauranga working to keep it contained.
"There was never a building involved it was a big pile of waste rolls of paper," northern fire communications shift manager Scott Osmond said.
Crews worked through the night to get on top of the blaze.
"They have still got about 10 appliances there. They're still turning over bales of paper and putting them out as necessary. We will be there all day."
Mr Osmond said the fire had spread towards one of the major paper machines but firefighters had managed to keep it from reaching the building and away from anything explosive.
"At a mill there's large numbers of interesting chemicals but they're all pretty well stored and there were certainly no risks."
Yesterday a member of public, thought to be a paper mill employee, was taken to hospital with burns to their neck. A firefighter was also treated for dehydration and smoke inhalation.
- NZPA
