Crew douses compressor fire at Bridgestone Tyre Centre in Rotorua

A compressor at a Rotorua tyre centre caught fire this morning sending a worker to hospital for smoke inhalation

Emergency services were sent to Bridgestone Tyre Centre on Eruera St about 8.30am.

Co-owner Anita Simmonds said their compressor had randomly caught fire for an unknown reason and there were "flames and a lot of smoke".

She said luckily none of the workers had been working nearby the machine at the time.

One of her workers was being taken to hospital to be checked over for smoke inhalation, she said.

Simmonds said she hoped to get a new compressor and the shop to be back up and running this afternoon.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said fire crews were sent to the scene of a compressor on fire at a business on Eruera St.

He said it was a small fire and crews quickly extinguished it.

A fire investigator was at the scene, he said.

A Rotorua Daily Post reporter said one fire truck and one ambulance were at the scene, however the ambulance had now left, and a firefighter appeared to be looking around the workshop with a torch

Workers seem to still be inside the workshop, she said.

A faint smoky smell is in the air and Fire and Emergency NZ staff seem to be investigating one corner of the workshop.

An electrician were also on scene.