Fridge leak caused Crowne Plaza evacuation

Emergency services were called to the Crown Plaza in Auckland. Photo / Susan Strongman

A suspicious gas smell that triggered the evacuation of a floor at a luxury Auckland hotel appears to have been caused by a fridge leaking ammonia.

The 21st floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel on Albert St was evacuated and the fire service was called to the scene at 8.27pm.

Initial reports of a smell like electrical burning were investigated, but once firefighters entered the hotel they smelt gas and called for the Hazardous Materials Unit, fire communications spokeswoman Megan Ruru said.

Eight fire crews are at the scene. Photo / Susan Strongman

A detector was used to help locate the source of the gas - a fridge, which has now been moved to the maintenance floor of the hotel.

Eight fire crews, as well as police and ambulance, were at the scene. Firefighters were going through decontamination showers after leaving the floor, and all access to the level was originally blocked off.

The hotel's General Manager Wim Ruepert said no one was in the room from which the smell was coming, but all guests on the floor were evacuated due to what he called a "suspicious chemical smell."

He said guests were relocated to rooms on other floors, and no one was injured.

No other part of the hotel was affected, Mr Ruepert said.

The floor has now been re-opened.