Fire severely damaged a building at a large nursery on
Fairdown Straight, a few kilometres north of Westport, about
last night.
Firefighters from Westport and Waimangaroa fought the blaze,
which also destroyed two tractors and some equipment inside
the building.
Fire chief Pat O'Dea said surrounding tunnel houses almost
caught fire and their sides were melting, but firefighters
managed to save them. They then ensured the rest of the
complex was made safe.
"What was lost was the least that could have been expected
given the circumstances," said Mr O'Dea.
Three fire trucks attended, two from Westport and one from
Waimangaroa.
Waimangaroa attended because of the restricted water supplies
in the area. A water tanker from Granity was also called out
but was returned to the station as Westport and Waimangaroa
staff had the fire under control.
Initially, firefighters were concerned there could be
chemicals in the building, but there weren't, Mr O'Dea said.
Burning plastics caused black smoke and firefighters had to
use breathing apparatus.
Fire safety officers were investigating the cause of the
fire.
- By Kim Fulton of the Westport News
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