Napier fire: Investigations under way after suspicious blaze controlled at Awatoto industrial site

Firefighters from around Hawke’s Bay were called to control a fire at an industrial plant Waitangi Rd in Awatoto on Monday morning.

The Oji Fibre Solutions plant is located in the beachfront industrial area of Napier, and the company describes itself as one of Australasia’s leading manufacturers of pulp, paper and wood-fibre based packaging solutions.

A fire has broken out at a paper recycling plant in Awatoto. Photo / Warren Buckland

Firefighters were dousing large piles of cardboard boxes and paper packaging at the site about 8.40am.

By 10.23am, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said crews were scaling back, and fire investigators were on the scene as the blaze was being treated as suspicious.

Oji Fibre Solutions group manager of environment and external relations, Philip Millichamp, confirmed nobody was hurt in the incident and there was limited damage to the waste paper baling site.

Fire crews from around Hawke's Bay attended the blaze in Napier. Photo / Warren Buckland

“The company is yet to determine what caused the incident, but will immediately investigate and review our own management systems and our contractor’s systems to prevent the re-occurrence of such incidents,” he said.

Lines company Unsion’s communications and marketing adviser Ester Du Fresne said investigations will be under way once the site is safe. Only one industrial customer lost power.

The site manager at the nearby Ravendown fertiliser factory said the fire had not impacted Ravensdown.