A fire in a beekeeper's shed has resulted in the building being demolished in order to put out the blaze.
Walls were pulled down and debris cleared by a digger to allow firefighters to extinguish flames inside the shed, located on the corner of Letts Gully Rd and State Highway 85, just north of Alexandra.
A plume of dark smoke was visible from as far away as Clyde.
The building on fire appeared to be constructed from corrugated iron and cinder block, and was surrounded by trees.
Alexandra Volunteer Fire Brigade attended the scene about 3-3.30pm.
About 30 firefighters, two appliances, the Central Otago Command Unit, and a tanker from the Otago Rural Fire Authority helped put out the fire.
Police also attended to manage traffic, and closed the road for about an hour and a half.
Delta staff isolated power to the property to ensure the safety of fire fighters.
Alexandra Chief Fire Officer Russell Anderson said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
However, it was believed whatever had started the fire had been inside the building.
Conditions were calm, but hot, with temperatures close to 30degC while emergency services attended the scene.
Firefighters were still at the scene at about 6pm.
