Hamilton fires: Boat storage and commercial building fires not suspicious

FENZ were called to a commercial building fire in Te Rapa, Hamilton, on December 17. Photo / Malisha Kumar

A malfunctioning lithium-ion battery is to blame for a fire in a large workshop in Te Rapa on December 17

A Fire and Emergency NZ FENZ spokesman confirmed the cause of the fire and also the reason behind another fire, on December 13, which destroyed a boat storage shed, also in Te Rapa and sent a cloud of toxic smoke over the city.

A FENZ spokesperson, said half of the 80m x 40m building was well involved in fire when the first crew arrived at the scene. Photo / Malisha Kumar

Fire crews were called to the December 17 fire at 10.50pm in a commercial building in Te Rapa, where half of the 80m by 40m building was well involved in fire when the first crew arrived at the scene.

A spokesperson said, at its peak, nine trucks were used to fight the blaze, including one ladder truck.

Appliances from Te Rapa, Hamilton, Chartwell and Ngāruawāhia fire stations were used.

“The fire was under control and hot spots were being dampened down by 1am, although crews did return during the day on Monday to dampen down further hot spots”.

A fire broke out near a major shopping mall in Hamilton’s Te Rapa.

Investigations into the large fire on December 13, of a boat storage facility in Te Rapa, has also concluded.

“That fire was caused by a spark from work being done in the building, igniting a fuel source,” the FENZ spokesman said.

The storage building fire started about 5.30pm and caused a toxic smoke plume to drift over into suburbs east of the scene.

An emergency mobile alert was sent to Rototuna and Chartwell residents to warn them to stay inside with their windows and doors closed to avoid the smoke.

The warning had been lifted by about 9pm after the fire had been extinguished.

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

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