Blaze at car wrecker destroys about 48 cars in Ngongotahā

A major blaze that destroyed about 48 cars at Direct Auto Dismantlers in Ngongotahā is under investigation, after camera footage reportedly showed a person jumping the yard’s fence around the time of the fire.

Multiple fire brigades responded to the fire at Direct Auto Dismantlers on Wikaraka St in Ngongotahā on Saturday afternoon.

Drone video footage shows the large blaze producing plumes of black smoke.

One eyewitness described the fire, capturing the scene on a drone to document the blaze that engulfed multiple cars.

Danilo Lopes said as soon as he saw the “towering wall of black smoke”, he knew it was something serious.

“It was close to our house and within minutes, the sky around us turned foggy and smoky, like an eerie dusk had suddenly fallen.”

Lopes said the “crackling” and burning could be heard from a distance.

“The sound of the firefighters roaring into the area was constant as they worked to contain the blaze.”

Direct Auto Dismantlers manager Nixon Noori believed someone had set the yard on fire. Police and fire safety investigators are yet to confirm the cause of the fire.

Noori told the Rotorua Daily Post camera footage showed a person jumping the fence around the time of the fire.

“I had an eyewitness say the person was running down the road and their right hand was on fire.”

Noori said roughly 48 cars were burned and it took more than an hour to put the fire out.

The car wreckers yard in Ngongotahā was engulfed in the fire, which sent large plumes of black smoke into the air.

“I was on the way coming out of Rotorua, and a neighbour rang me. They [said they] saw someone on the camera jumping the fence. So by the time I came, it was all in flames.”

He said workers managed to move some cars with the forklifts.

Police attended the scene to assist with traffic control on the day and are now working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to determine the cause of the fire.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it was alerted at 5.30pm on Saturday to multiple cars on fire at a car wrecker’s in Ngongotahā in the Rotorua District.

“Crews from Ngongotahā, Rotorua, Mamaku, Tīrau, Greerton, Putururu and Tauranga responded.”

Fire and Emergency said people in Rotorua were advised to steer clear of Wikaraka St.

“Those living in the area were asked to stay inside and close windows and doors due to thick smoke from the fire.

The fire was fully extinguished the same night, and the last firefighting truck left the incident by 8.30pm.

Fire investigators worked at the site over the weekend.

“We won’t have any information about the origin or cause of the fire until their report is complete.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.