Boat business gutted

Close to half a million dollars worth of boats, plant and stock was lost to flame in an early-morning blaze at a Masterton marine engineering workshop on Saturday, sited only metres from the town fire station.
Station officer Doug Flowerday said a passerby alerted an ambulance driver arriving just before 6am on Saturday at the station site that also houses the Wairarapa Ambulance Service base.
He said the blaze, which had been shooting flames about 15m into the air, was contained within half an hour, with fire crews using breathing apparatus and five fire engines, including two specialist units, in attendance.
"There were about 28 firefighters on the job all-up, with the last leaving just after noon, and because the fire was just around the corner too close really some walked over from the station."
Mr Flowerday said the nearness of the blaze to the fire station proves the reliance placed on alerts from the public when there are no monitored fire or sprinkler alarms in use.
"It was a pretty straightforward job besides access at first. We knew from the owner where the gas cylinders were and they were isolated from the fire. Most of our time there was dampening down and making sure it didn't re-ignite."
Mr Flowerday said the roof had collapsed in the blaze, which had sent up a thick pall of smoke and fumes that settled over the main street for a time and led to warnings for downwind residents to stay indoors with their windows closed.
Grant Stevens, co-owner with wife Sheryn, of Stevens Marine Engineering in Villa Street, said the fire completely destroyed four boats in their workshop known as The Boatshed since the business moved onsite 18 months ago although one craft escaped the blaze and another is able to be repaired.
He said the fire, blamed on an electrical fault in a refrigerator onsite, had ravaged most of the 580sqm premises, which includes a retail frontage, with the remainder damaged by smoke and water.
"It looks like it started in the smoko room and we've lost all our plant, all our stock and most of what we were working on probably about $400,000 worth or more.
"I arrived soon after the fire was reported and could see the flames coming through the roof. I knew that it was serious. It was quite disheartening."
Mrs Stevens said that on arriving at the site she had "felt absolutely sickened because there were ambulances. I thought at first that someone had been hurt".
The couple said their business, which employs five people including themselves, would survive the fire after having operated in the town since the early-90s.
"We spent 12 hours down there on Saturday going through the ruins. It may take a little while but we're going to have to decide whether to flatten what's left or not, and where to work from in the meantime which we will do."