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Home / New Zealand

The Front Page podcast: Why they couldn't 'just put out' the SkyCity fire

Frances Cook
By Frances Cook
BusinessDesk Investments Editor·NZ Herald·
23 Oct, 2019 09:34 PM2 mins to read

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Smoke filled Auckland's CBD while the fire raged for three days. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Smoke filled Auckland's CBD while the fire raged for three days. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Each week The Front Page takes you behind the scenes of the biggest story from the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB. Today it's why the SkyCity fire raged so far out of control, and what to expect next. Hosted by Frances Cook.

A shocking blaze at the $700m SkyCity convention centre has brought Auckland to a standstill, with 150 firefighters battling the fire at its peak.

As the fire raged, smoke filled the central business district, with many reporting sore throats, burning eyes, and coughing.

The fire is now under control, but firefighters say they expect to be at the site for days, dampening down hotspots.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to Firefighters working on the fire at the New Zealand International Convention Centre. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to Firefighters working on the fire at the New Zealand International Convention Centre. Photo / Jason Oxenham
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How on Earth could this fire rage out of control in modern times, and how bad will this be for our economy?

To answer common questions the newsroom was sent during the fire, Anna Leask and Anne Gibson came on The Front Page podcast.

We discussed what made the fire so challening to put out, whether there were problems with the building construction, and how far into the millions the damage could go.

If you have questions about Herald investigations, or want to stay up to date on social media, you can find host Frances Cook on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.

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You can subscribe to this podcast on the podcast apps, including iHeartRadio here, Apple podcasts here, Spotify here, and Google podcasts here.

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