|
|
Firefighters work to put out a shed fire in Frankton yesterday. Photo by Christina McDonald. |
Firefighters rushed to a shed fire in Frankton yesterday,
with smoke able to be seen from Queenstown.
The shed and an attached fence caught fire on a Riverside Rd
property, behind Remarkables Park and bordering the Kawarau
Falls scenic reserve, about 11am.
Police kept neighbours and members of the public at a safe
distance from the fire due to the risk posed by gas canisters
stored in the shed.
The canisters were taken from the shed and submerged in a
water bath as a precaution and a Lakes Environmental
hazardous substances officer attended the incident, also as a
precaution.
Fire crews wore breathing masks when battling the fire, which
produced copious amounts of smoke, and by noon it was under
control, leaving the blackened skeleton of the former shed.
Queenstown Fire Brigade Station Officer Dion Halmshaw said
the fire was confined to the shed and the homeowners were
"very lucky".
Emergency services had been called by one of the homeowners,
who was on the property at the time.
A verbal dispute between neighbours was observed and
attending police separated the two men.
Mr Halmshaw said fire safety officer Paul Glanville was to
arrive from Invercargill yesterday to determine the cause of
the fire and before his assessment he would not speculate as
to what caused the fire.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.