Three volunteer firemen suffered electric shocks as they fought to dampen flames which ravaged the top storey of a historic Wairoa building.
"We thought that the power was turned off, but they hit the power main and water conducted the electricity and gave them a bit of a shock," Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Grant Duley said of yesterday's early morning incident.
Worst hit was a 43-year-old man on the end of the hose, who was taken to Wairoa Hospital by ambulance. He recovered and was later discharged.
The firefighter had stepped in to help out.
"He was an ex-member of our brigade who was visiting his brother and because we were so short, he got roped in to lend a hand," Mr Duley said.
"Currently he's a valid member of the Carterton Brigade, which is why we called on him."
The two other firefighters were unharmed.
The 2.40am fire, described as "spectacular" took 20 men and four appliances to quell.
It gutted an entire upstairs apartment, and devastated three businesses below.
Marine Parade shops Cafe Jafa, Angus Gemmell Ltd hardware store and Bradbury Jeweller were all damaged by water and smoke from the blaze.
A single male occupant living in the flat had raised the alarm and was outside when fire crews arrived. He was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.
Mr Duley said it was one of the largest fires he had seen in the district over the past 20 years. It was also one of the most difficult to tackle.
"It was a fairly big blaze, we had to get Nuhaka in to help us and Gisborne as well. We don't have access to a bronco [tall ladder] so we needed their assistance, otherwise we were stuck fighting it from the street."
The crews struggled for more than four hours to tame the fire, which is believed to have started in a bedroom and spread into the roof space.
"From there it went throughout the upper storey of the building," fire investigator for the New Zealand Fire Service, Mike Finucane said. "There is severe damage to the top level and insurance investigators are set to attend the site tomorrow."
It was not yet determined what sparked the blaze and investigations were ongoing.
Wairoa police said they were no longer involved because the fire was not suspicious.
Investigators would work with Wairoa District Council to decide the fate of the building.
"Our job is to make sure everyone is safe," council building control team leader Corinne Hamlin said.
"Certainly no one will be operating out of those shops in the near future."
It was clear the building would be missed by locals, were it to be condemned.
"It's a well-known building, it would be a real tragedy to see it go," a local shop clerk said.
The building withstood the 1931 earthquake and was listed as historic by the council.