Fire and Emergency investigating cause of scrap yard fire in Hamilton

An investigation is under way into a fire at a Hamilton scrap metal yard.

It took almost two hours to extinguish the blaze at the National Steel Ltd site in Frankton.

Fire and Emergency NZ was alerted to the Ellis St fire about 5.11pm yesterday.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said seven trucks attended the fire at its peak, with multiple cars on fire.

Fire and Emergency are determining the cause of a fire at a scrap metal yard in Hamilton. Photo / Kyle Hallett

“It was extinguished around 7pm. No people were trapped or injured.”

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause.

Police did not attend the incident.

A nearby Dinsdale resident said they “saw and smelt huge plumes of smoke”, and went for a drive to get a “glimpse of the action from a safe distance”.

“It had drawn quite a crowd. The fire brigade did a good job at containing it.”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.