Massive fire engulfs 'multi-tenanted building' in Tirau

Eight fire appliances are at the scene of a massive blaze in Tirau.

The fire was on the corner of State Highway 1 and Rose St and was called in about 10.30am, Fire and Emergency NZ northern shift manager Karen Larking said.

The building is multi-tenanted commercial premises.

Larking said there were no reports of injuries.

SH1 TIRAU - 11:45AM
Due to a fire a section of #SH1 is CLOSED between Heatherington Rd and SH27. Northbound detour is right on Heatherington, left on Okoroire Rd, left on SH27 and right back onto #SH1. Reverse for southbound traffic. Expect delays.^LB pic.twitter.com/1JdCrWKeFD

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) October 21, 2021

"The people who called it in said everybody had been evacuated."

The building is about 20m x 30m in size.

Photos of the blaze show flames smashing their way through the roof as a massive plume of smoke shoots up into the sky.

Massive plumes of smoke can be seen across town. Photo / Supplied