Port Whangārei fire: Smoke advisory lifted after lithium battery building blaze

The fire broke out in a warehouse building at Port Whangārei. Photo / Supplied

A smoke advisory has been lifted following a fire at a Port Whangārei building housing lithium batterys and solar panels.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said several calls were received about 7.25pm reporting a fire at a two-storey commercial address on Kioreroa Rd.

“Upon arrival crews found the building well involved and escalated it to a third alarm fire,” a Fire and Emergency shift supervisor told the Herald.

At the height of the incident there were 11 crews in attendance, including a ladder truck from Auckland.

A witness told the Herald the fire was located in a large warehouse with “toxic smoke billowing out”.

“Power is being cut to the road by the power company,” the witness said Tuesday night.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said this morning the building was used for the storage and installation of solar panels and lithium batteries.

“The incident was in an industrial area and there were no properties in the immediate vicinity.”

The spokesperson said an Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) was sent to nearby properties advising to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke drift.

The EMA was lifted just before 1.30am and crews were at the scene this morning, dampening hotspots.

“Further relief crews from Auckland will arrive later this morning to assist with dampening down.”

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