Eighteen fire engines battle South Auckland blaze

Eighteen fire engines and 50 firefighters were last night called to a factory blaze in south Auckland.

A Fire Service spokesman said early reports were that people were still inside the old AFFCO freezing works on Hugo Johnson Dr, Otahuhu when the alarm was raised at about 7.30pm.

However firefighters on the scene said they believed everyone was accounted for.

One man who said he lived and worked in the building said the power went out and then smoke could be smelled.

Three people live in separate parts of the building, 70 percent of which is vacant.

Late last night, firefighters were using thermal imaging cameras to find the source of the blaze.

The same industrial zone was the scene of a similar fire in December 2003 when 70 firemen battled 15m flames leaping from the Carter Holt Harvey paper and plastics processing plant.