Major fire in Auckland’s Penrose prompts emergency response

A major fire on McNab Street in Auckland’s Penrose district sent thick smoke across the city on Thursday afternoon, prompting a multi-station emergency response and reports of power outages nearby.

RNZ reported that crews from Ellerslie, Onehunga, Ōtāhuhu, Remuera, Auckland City and Mount Wellington were at the scene. It said Auckland City Fire and Emergency advised residents in Penrose and Onehunga to close windows and doors because of the smoke.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted at 3.23pm, according to 1News. The outlet reported that smoke was visible from the Southern Motorway and across Auckland, and that traffic was backed up for several kilometres in both directions.

Power outages were reported in Penrose and Ellerslie on Vector’s outage map, 1News said. RNZ reported Vector had texted customers about outages affecting Penrose, Mount Wellington, Ellerslie and Panmure.

Some social media posts described explosions and identified different buildings as the site of the fire. Those claims have not been independently established in the supplied reporting. The confirmed reports place the fire on McNab Street, near an electricity substation; the exact building involved and the cause were not clear.

Reports about injuries were inconsistent, and no reliable casualty figure or later update on the fire’s status was available in the reporting reviewed.