Fire and Emergency NZ crews are responding to a fire at New World Victoria Park in Auckland CBD.
Crews were alerted by a fire alarm activation at 11.18am today, June 17.
As of 11.50am, there are 11 trucks and a command unit at the scene.
The fire is not yet under control, but all persons have been accounted for.
The public is advised to avoid the area, with the roads around the supermarket closed.
Smoke is drifting up into Ponsonby area and towards Grey Lynn.
Residents impacted by the smoke are advised to close their windows and doors and avoid going outside if possible.
UPDATE 1:
At 12.20pm police said they’ve been advised of a fire at a central Auckland supermarket on College Hill in Freemans Bay.
Fire and Emergency NZ are currently leading the response.
“Our advice is for the public to avoid the immediate area while emergency services are in attendance,” Acting Inspector Ian Scoulding says.
“We’d also ask residents in the nearby area to close their windows at this time.”
UPDATE 2:
At 12.35pm, FENZ said firefighters are continuing to respond to the fire at New World Victoria Park.
Sixteen trucks and a command unit are in attendance as at 12.30pm, with trucks brought in from as far away as Devonport, Titirangi and Papatoetoe to provide additional personnel.
Two aerial trucks are working above the fire to bring it under control.
The public is advised to continue to avoid the area, with the roads around the supermarket closed.
Smoke is drifting up into Ponsonby area and towards Grey Lynn.
Residents impacted by the smoke are advised to close their windows and doors and avoid going outside if possible.
UPDATE 3, at 2pm:
The fire at New World Victoria Park is not yet under control, with firefighters facing challenges in reaching the fire.
Crews were alerted by fire alarm activation to the fire around 11.18am.
Currently there are 20 trucks and support vehicles are on the scene, with further resources still responding.
This includes the Hamilton aerial appliance, which has been deployed as backup for the three Auckland aerials already in use.
Incident controller Vaughan Mackereth says the fire is currently burning on the mezzanine floor and in the roof.
“This means accessing it is difficult for our crews,” he says.
“We’re only fighting the fire from outside the building as it’s too dangerous at this stage for internal firefighting.
“We are expecting to be here into the evening and overnight.”
All persons have been accounted for.
The public is advised to continue to avoid the area, with the roads around the supermarket closed.
An emergency mobile alert was issued for people southwest of the fire to stay inside with their windows and doors closed due to the smoke.
Fire investigators are at the scene, but it’s too early to speculate on the cause.
UPDATE 4, at 4.55pm:
The New World Victoria Park fire is now contained, but incident controller Shaun Thornton says operations will continue overnight to extinguish it.
“Crews have been able to access inside the building, which has helped us get the fire contained,” he says.
There are 15 trucks and support vehicles. Two of those are aerials, with the Hamilton aerial now returning to its station in Hamilton.
The smoke has reduced considerably, and the Stay Inside Emergency Mobile Alert has been lifted.
“Road closures remain in place, please continue to avoid the area,” Thornton says.
“We are making progress removing cars from the carpark.
“If customers have a car in the New World car park they are advised to see the Fire and Emergency NZ personnel at the cordon at the bottom end of Franklin Road who are coordinating the retrieval of vehicles.”
This will be the final update for the night unless there is a significant development.
