Blaze that swept through Havelock North workshop not treated as suspicious

Fighting the fire at the workshop took 40 minutes. Photo / Warren Buckland

A fire which blazed for 40 minutes at a workshop beside a petrol station in Havelock North is not being treated as suspicious.

Four cars were damaged by the fire, which started just before 11am on Saturday at the Havelock North Auto Court beside Mobil on Havelock Rd.

It took 20 firefighters 40 minutes to put out.

Senior Hastings firefighter Allan Brown said the fire caused some damage, but the building remained structurally sound.

The cause was still being investigated, he said.

The fire had initially been reported as a car fire but the two local crews were soon joined by two from Hastings and one from Napier, along with support services, as the alarm escalated, with worries for acetylene cylinders on the site.