Blocked pipe determined as cause of gas leak at Royal Whanganui Opera House

Firefighters prepare to enter the Opera House. Photo / Bevan Conley

A blocked pipe caused a gas leak at the Royal Whanganui Opera House which resulted in the building being evacuated.

Two Whanganui fire crews and a command unit were called to the historic theatre around 9.05am on Monday.

A command unit was at the scene. Photo / Bevan Conley

They responded to an automatic fire alarm, but there was no fire when they arrived.

Whanganui Fire Station station officer Shane Dudley said hydrogen sulphide gas was detected inside the building.

However, the amount of gas in the building’s atmosphere was within safe working limits.

“We were happy that no one was going to get hurt otherwise we wouldn’t have handed it over,” Dudley said.

After gas levels were deemed safe, fire crews handed the building back to the council which owns the building.

Community and customer experience general manager Marianne Cavanagh said the fire alarm had been set off by the gas fumes, which were the result of a blocked pipe.

She said the building had been thoroughly assessed and given the all-clear.

“Happily our systems worked as they should to ensure the safety of staff, patrons and the building itself,” Cavanagh said.

The Opera House, including its box office, has now reopened.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.