Fire and Emergency believe the cause of the New World Victoria Park fire was accidental.
The information was provided in an update Thursday afternoon. The fire service said the investigation into the fire at the supermarket remained ongoing.
Foodstuffs North Island confirmed all food and stock inside the store will be removed and disposed of, following expert advice, for health and safety reasons.
Chief executive Chris Quin said the intensity of the fire, huge volume of water, along with the spread of smoke, heat and potential chemical exposure inside the store, meant items couldn’t be salvaged.
“The fire was extensive, and conditions inside the store during the blaze were highly variable,” Quin said.
Smoke and flames have been seen coming out of New World Victoria Park. (Source: 1News)
“Some stock — particularly those stored higher up or near flammable items like fly sprays — were visibly fire-damaged, but even food stored lower down has been exposed to heat, smoke, water and potentially harmful contaminants.
“Safety is absolutely our top priority. For that reason, everything in the store will be removed and disposed of as soon as it is safe for our teams to do so. Nothing is safely able to be repurposed or donated for consumption. We have taken advice on this to see if there was any possibility but it’s just not safe.
“We will determine whether any materials can be safely recycled after a rigorous safety assessment,” he said.
Quin said the wellbeing of 189 staff members was also being monitored.
“We’ve been regularly checking in with our team and will continue to do so.
“Every team member will continue to receive weekly pay, and we’re working on redeployment options at nearby Foodstuffs stores while we look at the next steps for the site.
“We’ve made people and resources available to support the wellbeing of our team during this tough time, whether that’s someone to talk to, helpful tools, or advice on looking after themselves.
“These team members are at the heart of our store, and we’re committed to being there for them every step of the way.”
By Victor Waters of rnz.co.nz