Fire destroys Orewa tavern

Fire has destroyed a tavern in the seaside resort town of Orewa, north of Auckland today.

The fire raced through the building after starting as a relatively small fire and spreading rapidly, Sergeant Mark Smith of Orewa police said.

About 20 fire engines and about 100 firefighters from all over the North Shore were sent to the blaze at 11am today.

By mid afternoon all that was left of the public bar was "a pile of mangled rafters and woodwork," Mr Smith said.

The bottle shop was only a shell and would have to be bulldozed, he said.

The hotel is on the main road into Orewa from the northern motorway extension and is passed by thousands of motorists heading north.

It is also close to a new subdivision, but Mr Smith said no houses needed to be evacuated.

The fire did not appear deliberately lit, he said.

"It is not being treated as suspicious although we are carrying out inquiries.

"It was a very good blaze, plenty of smoke, plenty of flames. There was a lot of thick smoke which covered the whole of Orewa." Mr Smith said.

The fire spread rapidly, he said.

"It started off as a small fire and then took off. The construction of the building is such is that it was not good for a fire," he said.

- NZPA