Recycling factory destroyed in fierce blaze

Fire crews from all over Auckland battle the fire that destroyed the factory. Pictures / Dean Purcell

A ferocious fire destroyed a plastics recycling factory in Auckland yesterday, sending plumes of thick smoke across the Southern Motorway and into the skies.

The fire was already raging through the Advanced Plastics building in Bassant Ave, Penrose, when the Fire Service arrived shortly after 6pm.

Firefighters quickly raised the fire to a fourth alarm - one down from the most serious on the scale.

"That gives an indication of how quickly it developed and spread," said Shane Howe, chief fire officer of Auckland city east fire district.

A man who was at the scene before the Fire Service said the factory was burning fiercely and there was little that could be done to save the building.

Mr Howe said it was too early to say how the fire started.

No one was inside the 20m-by-60m single-storey building and no one was injured.

About 50 firefighters took an hour to control the blaze and Mr Howe was expecting them to spend most of last night damping it down.

The owner of the business, who declined to comment, watched from about 100m away as thick black smoke poured from factory windows, billowed across the motorway and climbed into the sky.

"The smoke was pretty thick. You could drive through it, but it was heavy," said Michael Dooley, who was driving on the motorway an hour after the fire was first reported.

People as far away as Devonport, about 10km to the north, reported seeing the smoke.

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the building, which is in an industrial area and close to several warehouses.

Mr Howe said the plastic material in the factory did not pose a risk of an explosion, but there was concern about the toxicity of the smoke and water running into stormwater drains.

He said the Fire Service would work closely with the Auckland Regional Council to monitor the situation.

Members of the public gathered to watch in surrounding roads, which were cordoned off.

The smoke disrupted traffic and one lane on Great South Rd was blocked for a short time.