Seriously injured firefighter transferred

A firefighter seriously burnt in a blaze north of Wellington yesterday is being transferred to Auckland for specialist treatment.

Emergency services were called to the Racetech car seat manufacturing building in Petone just after 3pm.

The firefighter was carried out of the burning building by four of his colleagues and a white tarpaulin was placed around him as a temporary cordon, Newstalk ZB reported.

At first he seemed relatively unresponsive and needed to be physically carried but he was eventually able to stand up, at which time he was stripped of his uniform and doused in water.

TV3 reported other firefighters initially appeared to perform CPR on the injured fireman.

The Fire Service said in a statement today the man was being transferred from Hutt Valley Hospital to the national burns unit in Auckland for further treatment.

"It is very rare for a firefighter to be injured while fighting a fire and the thoughts of his colleagues from around the country are with him and his family," the statement said.

"The Fire Service is doing everything possible to provide support to him and his family as he recovers from his injuries."

Twelve appliances and 50 fire staff attended the blaze at its peak.

An investigation into what happened at the fire is underway.