Auckland mall evacuated over fire fears; Xmas shoppers told to leave

A busy Auckland mall filled with Christmas shoppers has been evacuated after reports of smoke coming from the building.

NorthWest Shopping Centre in Westgate was evacuated this afternoon.

Four fire trucks and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) support vehicles have gathered at the scene. An operational support unit has also arrived.

Firefighters have been seen entering the mall.

They responded at 4.07pm today after reports of a “second alarm structure fire” in West Auckland.

The Herald understands that initial reports to emergency services came just after 4pm that smoke had been seen in one of the shops inside the mall.

One shopper told the Herald that they had seen firefighters on the ground but hadn’t seen any signs of fire themselves.

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