Penrose plumbing store fire: Crews are treating the blaze as unexplained

Fire crews have battled a blaze in an Auckland plumbing shop overnight, with investigators treating the incident as unexplained.

The fire took place at a plumbing supplies store on Fairfax Ave, Penrose, at about 3.40am today, Fire and Emergency NZ said.

About 15 fire trucks were on the scene at the height of the blaze, Assistant Commander Gary Lane said.

The fire started in a storage area at the rear of the 8m by 15m building and flared up so much crews had to change how they were fighting the flames, Lane said.

Fire crews on the scene of the fire at a plumbing store on Fairfax Ave, Penrose, overnight. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Crews had to fight the blaze from outside after the store's roof collapsed. Photo / Hayden Woodward

“Once part of the roof collapsed, we withdrew our crews and started fighting it externally,” he said.

”Two ladder appliances were utilised to fight the blaze.”

The fire had now been brought under control with crews earlier this morning finishing the “mop-up phase”.

A fire investigator has already visited the scene and will return today during daylight hours to continue to look into what happened.

“The fire is being treated as unexplained at this time,” Lane said.