Cause of chemical leak at Mount Maunganui coolstore still under investigation

A gas leak at a Mount Maunganui coolstore caused the evacuation of several building in the area. Photo/John Borren.

The cause of an ammonia gas leak at a Mount Maunganui coolstore which sparked the evacuation of dozens of businesses is yet to be determined.

The gas leak was at Real Cool Cold Storage Tauranga on the corner of Mark Rd and York St, and a large number of firefighters were called to the site about 1.20pm on Wednesday.

Mount Maunganui fire station officer Roger Pickett said the leak from an upright cylinder inside the coolstore happened during maintenance work, but the exact cause of the spillage was still being investigated.

Mr Pickett said given the nature of the chemical and location, the incident sparked a third alarm callout, meaning eight fire engines and a hazardous substance unit attended.

Ammonia gas was being used as a refrigerant at the coolstore, but the gas could be deadly if inhaled, Fire Service Bay of Plenty area manager Murray Billing earlier said.

Mr Pickett said the last Mount Maunganui fire truck arrived back at the station at 6.30pm last night.

"It was fortunate it was quite windy as that helped the gas to dissipate," he said.

A spokesperson from WorkSafe New Zealand said officials attended the spillage to provide some technical advice on hazardous substances.

Mark Batten, the manager at Real Cool Cold Storage Tauranga, could not be reached for comment yesterday.