Te Puna business Sandali Home to open doors later this year after smoke damage

A Te Puna furniture and homeware store is set to reopen before the end of the year after a fire in a connected building forced it to close earlier this month.

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On February 8 about 5am, four fire engines attended a blaze in a building on the corner of Clarke Rd and State Highway 2.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said the fire investigation found the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of garden seeds stored in the building.

Boutique imported furniture and homeware store Sandali Home co-owner Ali Mohamed said the store was connected to the building where the fire originated but the fire was not within the store itself.

However, all of the business' stock was damaged by the smoke and had to be replaced while the building suffered some fire damage.

Thankfully, the business was covered by insurance.

"It is what it is. We're really thankful that no one was hurt," he said.

The store was working on importing more stock and Mohamed was looking forward to reopening about late August or early September.

The business would be posting on social media to keep the community in the loop about when the store would exactly be back up and running.

Nearby businesses, including Clarke Road Kitchen Eatery, The Sewing Studio, A Dog's Day, and Bay Accounting and Financial Services, confirmed they were open for business. GardenPost and Wildflower World have been approached for comment.