Vow to keep staff on after fire razes plastics factory

One of Otaki's biggest employers is pledging to keep staff in their jobs despite its plastic recycling factory being razed by fire early yesterday.

Firefighters were called to Pacific Plastics Recyclers in the Horowhenua town about 4am to find the factory well alight.

Despite the best efforts of 15 fire appliances and 50 firefighters called from around Horowhenua and as far away as Wellington, the building could not be saved. Firefighters remained at the scene through the day, extinguishing fires under the floor.

With still conditions preventing smoke from dispersing, health authorities issued a health warning for people with respiratory problems to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut.

The warning was later lifted.

Company operations manager Jim Rimmer said that it would take up to six months to rebuild the factory and source replacement machinery from overseas.

But it would try to keep all the 35 affected staff on at the New Zealand-owned company's two other plastic factories in the town.

However, the company's other factories were not big enough or properly equipped to take over production.

Mr Rimmer said the factory had not been running yesterday morning because it was the Wellington Anniversary Day public holiday.

He said if staff had been on site, they might have been able to either put the fire out early or notify the fire service quickly, but it was fortunate nobody had been there or was injured.

Wellington area deputy chief fire officer John Jackson said it was too early to say what caused the blaze but fire safety investigators and police were making inquiries.

- NZPA