Factory worker fears for future after fire

One of Auckland's largest fires is now out, but crews remain at the factory destroyed in a massive blaze that began on Tuesday night.

Aetna Pl and Heremai St remained closed this morning as firefighters prepared to enter the ruins of the Total Plastics and Advance Japanese Carparts factory in the West Auckland suburb of Henderson.

The fire at the two-storey building, which houses a car parts and plastics moulding factory, broke out just after 10pm and was being treated as suspicious. 

Residents in the neighbourhood reported hearing explosions and seeing spectacular fireballs erupting 60m into the air.

Henderson residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut when the fire broke out after fears toxic chemicals may have been in dense smoke plumes covering the suburb.

At its height 26 crews with more than 100 firefighters were at the blaze. It posed a number of dangers for fire crews, including fallen powerlines, explosive debris, contaminated water runoff, dense smoke and unknown chemicals.

The chief fire officer at the scene said there were no sprinklers inside the two-storey industrial building.

Mike Hawthorne has worked for the company for 16 years. The 55-year-old plastics technician is now for his future.

"It's devastating. I might not have a job and it's pretty hard to get one at my age."

Mr Hawthorne had not yet spoken to ownerTony King, who also employs seven others.

He did not know what had caused the fire, but said they had previously had problems with "kids tagging the building and throwing rocks".

Robin Wright owns Coating Technologies, a paint supply business separated from Advance Japanese Car Parts by only a driveway.

Mr Wright said the couple who owned the business had been at the site about five years. "I feel sorry for them because they have worked bloody hard."

There was still a smell of smoke in the air, but the scene was quiet and calm and people in the area have been told they could go about their daily business.

Fire Service Northern shift manager Jaron Phillips said firefighters would soon go inside the building to dampen down hotspots.

The front of the Total Plastics building was still standing, but the rear of the building is a mangled mess of twisted structures surrounded by burned out cars stacked on top of each other.

Fire safety officers and police were expected to investigate the cause of the blaze.

 

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