Firefighters are battling a blaze in a pile of scrap metal at Sims Metal in South Auckland's Favona. Video / Hayden Woodward / Mike Scott
A change in the wind has pushed toxic smoke across more suburbs in Tāmaki Makaurau as crews continue to battle a blaze at a South Auckland scrapyard.
The south Auckland blaze stopped trains in their tracks for nearly two hours, toxic alerts were issued to residents earlier in the morning and a dozen fire crews are involved in fighting the fire at Sims Metal on James Fletcher Drive. Limited train services are now running.
Fire and Emergency’s Waitematā assistant area commander, Garry Lane, said they responded to the third alarm fire on James Fletcher Drive - triggered by a pile of car parts that had caught fire.
As the morning progressed, smoke billowing from the blaze began making its way across the southern and eastern regions of Auckland - with residents reporting its reach over the last few hours.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) district manager Brad Mosby says there had been a shift in the wind and smoke from the fire was now moving north to include suburbs of Greenlane, Ellerslie, Mt Wellington and Penrose. South Auckland remains affected by the smoke.
“It was just like a stench but you could see it looked like very heavy fog over the distance,” she said.
Another resident who lives in neighbouring Beachlands told the Herald that smoke smelling like burning plastic had also drifted up to her residential area.
Further northeast in Auckland, residents in Glendowie noticed smoke begin to loom over their houses at approximately 9.30am.
Locals in Maraetai, Auckland’s most eastern suburb, reported smelling smoke around 9am before noticing vapours begin to cover the skyline.
One woman living on the edge of the region looking over the Gulf said her husband smelled smoke in their bathroom. She said it had a chemical scent.
The thick vapour mostly covered her usually clear view of Rangitoto and Browns Islands.
Photos from Remuera in central Auckland show the smoke plume rising from Favona, covering the skyline and heading east.
Meanwhile, businesses and locals closer to the blaze are more directly affected by the fire - which sparked on a pile measuring 35 metres by 35m.
Limited trains running
The Auckland Train Control centre, based at Westfield near Favona, was evacuated just before 10am. Trains were stopped in their tracks for close to two hours.
KiwiRail’s Wellington Train Control Service is looking after Auckland’s train services while the Auckland Train Control Centre remains evacuated.
Fire at South Auckland scrap yard is sending smoke across the city. Photo / Sean Tracey-Brown
Services have resumed on the Western Line, stopping at all stations between Britomart and Swanson.
The Southern Line currently has train services running between Britomart and Penrose, and between Puhinui and Papakura. Buses are shuttling passengers between Penrose and Puhinui while Ōtāhuhu Station is closed because of potentially toxic smoke from the fire in Favona.
Services on the Ōnehunga and Eastern Lines remain cancelled until further notice.
Smoke is blowing directly over Walmsley Rd, near the Ōtāhuhu train station.
Firefighters continue to control the blaze at a South Auckland scrap metal yard. Photo / Mike Scott
The air around the suburb is heavy, with a smell like burning plastic hitting the back of your throat.
A reporter at the scene said it is somewhat nauseating, but only two people have been seen wearing masks while outside.
One masked person said she was wearing it for the smoke which she said “smells toxic”.
Firefighters are battling a blaze in a pile of scrap metal at a yard in South Auckland's Favona. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Regardless of the smoke, people still mingled around shops and people spoken to seemed unfazed.
Security guards handed out face masks at the station, where the smoke was heaviest, and most commuters were wearing them.
Fourteen fire trucks and approximately 40 firefighters were at the scene at 5am, according to Fenz, and the plan was to separate the piles out to make them smaller in able to extinguish them quickly.
“It is a really big pile, [the smoke is] 10 metres high,” commander Lane said at the time.
Plumes of thick black toxic smoke have filled the air in South Auckland after a car yard fire incident. Photo / Mike Scott
Lane said crews were working from aerial appliances and ladder trucks and had a number of hoses out. A Fire and Emergency alert at 6am advised nearby residents to close all doors and windows.
A Fenz spokesperson said the fire had been contained to the scrap metal pile but it would be burning for some time.
“There are concerns the smoke from the fire is toxic and may affect people in the area. Auckland City Council environmental and pollution officers are also in attendance at the fire.”
A resident said part of the road had been closed and detours were in place.
Fire and Emergency have issued a toxic smoke warning for South Auckland residents this morning. Photo / Mike Scott
Many residents reported on social media groups they woke up to a very strong smell of burning plastic.
Jo Robertson lives around 8km away from the site of the fire in Favona.
Robertson told the Herald the smell of smoke was very strong even at her house.
About 2.30 am, she and her husband woke up to the smell of burning rubber.
“We went to all the rooms, around the house, and outside we couldn’t find anything on fire. But the smell was very strong. I had to turn the air filter off.”
Some schools closed early as the fire blazed at the scrap metal yard.
Due to building fire, James Fletcher Dr is closed between Beach Rd and Tui Street. Bus route 324 services will be detoured until further notice. 05 bus stops between Savill Dr and Walmsley Rd are impacted: Stop 6991, 6609, 2412, 6989, 6984. Expect delays. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/tzkbzAJyS9
— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) May 30, 2023
Firefighters are fighting a blaze at a scrap metal yard in South Auckland this morning. Photo / Hayden Woodward
