Investigators probing blaze at hatchery

Smoke from the hatchery. Photo / Jason Dorday

Fire investigators will today begin trying to find out what triggered a blaze which burned up to half a million fertilised eggs at a factory farm on Saturday.

About 68 firefighters attended the fire at Bromley Park Hatcheries in Tuakau, south of Auckland, after a staff member noticed smoke coming through the roof.

Plumes of black smoke were visible 10km away.

Bromley Park chief executive Stuart Weston said between 250,000 and 500,000 eggs and the 20m by 30m building were destroyed.

He said there were no birds in the factory as any hatched chicks were quickly removed, and the company kept its breeding chickens at other farms.

Bromley Park produces tens of millions of eggs each year, and Mr Weston said the company's other three hatcheries would easily pick up any lost production.

"There will be no impact on the market for meat or eggs ... we're able to do surprisingly well at flying into Plan B. As we speak we are firing up further capacity both at Waitakere and Christchurch."

Eggs took 21 days to incubate but because other hatcheries had product along that phase there would be very little impact on their customers, he said.

The Tuakau site employed 30 staff who would take holidays or be moved to other hatcheries temporarily, Mr Weston said.

Contractors had recently refurbished the hatchery but the cause of the fire was unknown.