Kāinga Ora fire in Wellington closes roads, prompts evacuation

Two central Wellington roads were closed after a fire at a Kāinga Ora apartment building. Photo / Mark Papalii via RNZ

By Jazlyn Whales of RNZ

Two central Wellington roads have been closed after a fire at a Kāinga Ora apartment building.

There were ambulances at the corner of Boulcott St and Church St about 2pm today, with as many as 10 fire engines and at least three police cars.

Fire and Emergency NZ said it had responded to a fire alarm activation in which two sprinklers went off because of a fire on the second floor.

One person was removed from the building and left in the care of ambulance staff.

A fire investigator is working to discover the cause of the fire.

Gareth Hughes, Fire and Emergency assistant commander for Wellington, said a person was rescued from a smoke-logged room.

The fire is now out, but Boulcott St remains closed to traffic.

Hughes said working smoke alarms played a role in ensuring everybody was evacuated safely, and the sprinklers kept the fire to a minimum.

About 20 people were evacuated.

“We have done a full fire sweep to make sure that the rooms or floors that had the fire were clear before we let anyone back in.

“The priority’s on making sure we get everyone out safely and we get the fire extinguished safely.”

Crews from seven stations responded, and the fire was out by about 2.30pm.

Emergency services had blocked off both streets.

RNZ’s reporter at the scene said there was a smell of smoke in the air, but no flames were visible.

-RNZ