Soon after the 2021 blaze onPapakura’s Parker St, sources told the Herald a thief using a cordless grinder or similar device to remove a catalytic converter probably ignited a petrol tank.
Documents finally released under the Official Information Act have now confirmed the removal of a catalytic converter in the highly flammable environment caused the fire.
A staff member today said the fire had been very upsetting for everybody at the company, but staff were resilient and hard-working.
“We’ve been through a lot of turmoil and a lot of pressure ... We received no help from anybody, really. We just get out and do what we do ... we managed to keep everybody in employment.”
A fire investigator said this car's exhaust system was disconnected. Further investigation revealed a missing catalytic converter. The circle shows where the converter should be. Photo / Fenz
Witness statements from business owners and staff indicated nobody was expected to be on-site the day the fire broke out.
A member of the public called emergency services and reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing black smoke at 3.11pm on Sunday June 6 that year.
“Staff and owners had finished work the previous day in the yard. No staff member had been undertaking work in the area of origin in the days leading up to the incident,” a report from specialist fire investigator Blair Rowllings said.
The fire’s point of origin was believed to be a single vehicle in a stack of cars.
“The process for removal of catalytic converters was to take the vehicles inside the warehouse area and dismantle the exhaust system systematically. No work of this nature is undertaken by staff remote to the warehouse area.”
A person or people cutting through the metal exhaust system to remove a catalytic converter in a “highly flammable environment” caused the blaze.
These thieves in the United States allegedly stole a catalytic converter in barely 30 seconds. Photo / Q13Fox
Four other causes were ruled out.
There were no adverse weather events at the time, no electrical feeds in the area in which the fire started, no staff on duty, and no electrical or hybrid vehicles in the area.
“The vehicle in question was missing the catalytic converter, [which] had been removed by cutting through the exhaust system.”
Fire investigators removed cars individually and inspected them for missing parts.
Firefighters from Papakura, Ōtara, Ōtāhuhu, Clevedon, Māngere, Pukekohe, Auckland City, Avondale, Parnell, Ellerslie and Mt Roskill fire stations attended the incident.
“Upon arrival, multiple vehicles were [on] fire, and firefighters established multiple low-pressure hose lines in an attempt to protect the exposed building and extinguish the fire,” the fire report added.
“Difficulties in establishing water allowed the fire to transition into the building.”
An aerial appliance took this photo showing the fire's point of origin, with the arrow showing the wind direction at the time. Photo / Fenz
The fire reports were released after the Herald sent queries to police. Some of those questions were transferred to Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) and some have yet to be answered.
Because a criminal investigation was launched, some documents were not released in the fire’s immediate aftermath.
Technically, the fire is deemed accidental, because the removal of the catalytic converter - rather than arson or a fire intentionally being started - was the cause.
At the time of the fire, catalytic converter thefts were thought to be rampant in New Zealand, the US and some other countries.
The spate of crimes was linked to rising prices for some platinum group metals typically found in the converters.
Rhodium prices leapt from US$15,500/oz in September 2020 to $29,500 in April 2021, before plunging to $11,250 by September that year.
Palladium prices climbed consistently from September 2018 to May 2021.
Platinum shot up from $598.38/oz in March 2020 to $1245 in late June 2021, but prices have been falling since February this year.
The NZ Association of Metal Recyclers (NZAMR) said copper products such as spouting, hot water cylinders and cables were the most commonly reported stolen items.
But batteries, decorative garden items and even manhole covers have been targeted.
The NZAMR encouraged people to report metal thefts to the association and to police immediately.
John Weekes is online business editor. He has covered courts, politics, crime and consumer affairs. He rejoined the Herald in 2020, previously working at Stuff and News Corp Australia.
