'Black smoke billowing': Firefighters extinguish East Tamaki blaze

A firefighter at the scene in Harris Rd. Photo / Dean Purcell

Firefighters battled and extinguished a large blaze today at a panelbeater business in East Tamaki.

The structure fire was at the Bodytech Paint and Panel business in Harris Rd. Ten fire engines attended the scene, Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Carren Larking said.

The damage at the Bodytech Paint and Panel business in Harris Rd. Photo / Dean Purcell

The fire service was called at 12.42pm to a fire in the roof of the panel and paint shop on Harris Rd, she said.

Larking believed everyone had gotten out of the shop safely.

Josh Law, an employee at the neighbouring Stihl shop, said he had looked out the showroom window to see "a whole lot of black smoke billowing" from the panelbeater's shop next door down a long driveway.

A firefighter at the scene in Harris Rd. Photo / Dean Purcell

At 1.45pm there were six fire trucks and a Hazmat vehicle at the scene, he said. "The smoke's simmered down now, it's light grey and not [billowing] as hard."

He could hear popping noises coming from the shop, which he understood were aerosol cans exploding.

The blaze began inside the panelbeating business. Photo / Dean Purcell

The fire was extinguished by 4pm, by which time a fire investigator had arrived to determine the cause of the blaze.