Firefighters are en route to Kawhia School where mercury balls have fallen from a shelf. Photo / Nick Reed.
Firefighters are en route to Kawhia School where mercury balls have fallen from a shelf. Photo / Nick Reed.
Mercury balls have dropped from a shelf at Kawhia School, prompting a full scale response from the New Zealand Fire Service.
A hazardous materials unit with firefighters donning chemical splash suits is en route to the primary school in the remote seaside village south of Raglan.
Fire Northern Communications Centreshift manager Jaron Phillips said mercury was toxic but he was unclear if the school had been evacuated.
However, the alarm was raised after school finished, about 3.10pm.
Phillips said the mercury balls were in an old dental clinic at the school which was being refurbished.