Sallies store flooded in Tauranga

Trousers were among the stock at the Salvation Army's Family Store in Cameron Rd to be soaked by a burst water pipe on Saturday night. Photo/George Novak

The Salvation Army's Family Store in Cameron Rd is closed for business today after a burst water pipe in the ceiling flooded out the store.

A passerby alerted authorities after spotting water flowing out under the front door yesterday morning.

Tauranga Fire Service senior station officer Mark Keller said it took about an hour for six or seven volunteers and a crew of four to mop up using squeegees. The call was received at 7.50am yesterday.

It was the second commercial building on Cameron Rd to be flooded out last week. Staff arriving at the New Zealand Blood Service's building on Wednesday morning found it awash with water gushing from a water filter connection.

Salvation Army store manager Renier Hattingh said the fire service did an amazing job. He was confident the store would reopen tomorrowonce the damage to stock was assessed and what was able to be saved was saved.

Wet clothes that dangled too close to the floor would be put through a laundromat.

Areas of carpet behind the front counter and in the office were being dried using a blower.