Crews have extinguished a blaze near Otatara, west of Invercargill, after multiple cars caught fire this afternoon.
Two fire appliances from Invercargill and a water tanker were called to the incident just after 12.30pm, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said.
It was understood four cars were involved and crews wearing breathing apparatus fought the blaze.
The fire was at Invercargill Tractor Servicing and Repairs in Otatara Rd.
Firefighters juggled tending to the scene while directing a small number of vehicles through the lane closure.
A neighbour in the area said she was shocked when she pulled up to her home to see the fire engines on the street.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it I just pulled in and saw [emergency services and road blocks].”
Fenz senior station officer John Gilder said the owner of the business was away at the time of the fire and nobody was on the property when it started.
It was only when a client came to pick up his tractor that they noticed the flames and called 111.
When emergency services arrived at the scene, four cars were on fire and several tractor tires had been engulfed by flames, he said.
Mr Gilder said it was “pretty quick” to put out the fire and only took about 10 minutes.
However, the four cars would definitely be written off, he said.
The investigation would be ongoing as it was not yet clear what the cause of the fire was.
