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Firefighters have rescued nearly 30 people including some who are handicapped from a burning building in downtown Auckland this morning.
As smoke billowed out some of the rescued scrambled out windows and struggled down turntable ladders. Others used an emergency stairwell as they were helped down by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
The Seafarers Centre in Quay Street, downtown Auckland, was burning fiercely when firefighters arrived shortly after 5am today.
The Fire Service said 10 occupants of the building were rescued by firefighters using a turntable ladder and another 18 were helped out of the building by firefighters.
Some of the rescued were taken to hospital.
The fire was thought to have been burning fiercely on level two of the building while the rest of the building was filled with smoke.
Firefighters arrived to the chilling news that 28 people, some of them disabled, were trapped in the burning seven-story building.
Auckland City East deputy chief fire officer, Roger Callister, said firefighters had an aerial ladder at the front and the rear of the burning building as smoke billowed out of windows.
"A whole heap of the residents found that they couldn't get down the stairwell because the building was unsprinklered and didn't have an automatic detection system so the fire had got going on the second level.
"The stairwell was filling with smoke and heat and the smoke was going out through the accommodation areas so the aerial appliances started plucking people off the roof.
"Around the rear stairwell, which was an emergency exit stairwell, was still usable though you could see the fire through the wire glass (of the doors) as the people were trying to get past.
"One of these people was in a zimmer frame so it was quite difficult with the firefighters having to assist these people down a narrow stairwell," Mr Callister said.
Once the occupants reached the ground they were examined by ambulance officers and two were taken to hospital although St John Ambulance said today they were not seriously hurt.
Mr Callister said arriving at a burning building to find a lot of people trapped was one of the worst scenes firefighters could face.
"It certainly focuses you on what you have to do and your first arriving crews have to spend their time doing all the rescues which is what it is all about really, before we can put our attentions to firefighting."
Mr Callister said it was always in the back of a firefighter's mind they may not get everyone out alive.
"But firefighters also believe they can always help and it is very disheartening if we can't."
He said it was gut wrenching to be told so many people were trapped.
"It gives us a focus to work on, to see people coming out is always a good thing to do. We have ambulance and police assisting us with evacuees. We got them to one area and organised some cold drinks initially and then got on to some hot drinks."
He said firefighters were very happy to get everyone out alive.
"Luckily today there has been nothing that has a grim face on it."
Mr Callister said the firefighters on the aerial appliances did a "great job" rescuing so many people.
"They kept their wits about them and did a great job.
"The first crew in with their low pressure delivery, did a very good job extinguishing that fire as well."
He said while it was extremely difficult getting people down the aerial ladder, it was also very hard for firefighters to help people down the cramped emergency stairwell in the heat and smoke.
- NZPA
