WELLINGTON: New Zealand fire services were battling a massive blaze on Tuesday on the roof of a convention centre being built in the city of Auckland, considered to be the country’s biggest current building project.
The fire, which broke out at the Sky City Convention Centre, is close to the Sky City tower in downtown Auckland. Videos posted by witnesses on Twitter showed fire and black smoke billowing from the roof.
“Fire is really building,“ Auckland’s mayor, Phil Goff, said on Twitter. “People can be seen on the roof.”
Fire and emergency crews are fighting to bring the blaze under control, police said in a statement, adding that they were assisting Fire and Emergency NZ with cordons and evacuations of workers.
About 23 fire trucks from across greater Auckland had responded to the blaze, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said.
“There have been no reported injuries,“ Sky City said on Twitter, adding that everyone had been evacuated from the convention centre, with Sky Tower and a casino closed until further notice.
Construction workers were among the hundreds of people evacuated, media said. Traffic came to a standstill in central Auckland, with people asked to avoid the business district and urged to take precautions against inhaling smoke.
The US$452 million (RM1.89 billion) Sky City Convention Centre, which sits on a 1.4ha site, with a floorspace of 32,500m², is considered to be New Zealand’s biggest building project.
Owned by New Zealand casino operator Sky City Entertainment Group, the project has been plagued by delays.
The country’s largest builder, Fletcher Building Ltd , is building the centre. Shares of Sky City were down 4% at NZ$3.82 (RM10.28) on the New Zealand exchange after the fire reports. — Reuters
