Technician who received electrical burns released from hospital 'in good spirits'

An eyewitness described seeing a man 'on fire' after an explosion at a Vector transformer. Image / Google Maps

A Northpower technician who received electrical burns after a transformer caught fire will be released from hospital today.

Emergency services were called to the commercial address, on Orb Ave in Manukau, just before 1pm yesterday.

An eyewitness earlier described seeing a man "on fire" after an explosion at a Vector transformer outside a South Auckland factory.

The witness said the explosion sounded like a shipping container had been dropped, and power was knocked out at a soft-drink maker's factory.

They then saw a man "on fire" walking to retrieve his phone, before realising his skin was starting to peel.

A technician was reported to have received serious electrical burns to his head and hands and was transported to Middlemore Hospital.

However, a Northpower spokesman confirmed today that the worker received only minor injuries, "thanks to his personal protective equipment [PPE] doing its job and he is in good spirits".

A full investigation was under way to determine the cause of the incident, the spokesman said.

Yesterday, Vector spokeswoman Minoru Frederiksens said the company was aware of the incident and WorkSafe had been notified.

"We are taking every step to ensure the individual involved receives the appropriate level of care and support."

The incident took place near Frucor Suntory in Manukau, but a spokeswoman confirmed no Frucor employees were injured in the incident.

She said power had been knocked out to one building at the Frucor site.