Fire and Emergency say initial indications are that a lithium-ion battery caused a blaze at a scrapyard in Auckland’s Ōtara early this morning.
Emergency crews were called to the fire on East Tamaki Rd just after 6am, a Fire and Emergency (FENZ) spokesperson said.
Footage captured by 1News shows large flames and black smoke billowing into the air.
The spokesperson said crews found the fire to be well involved at the rear of the premises and involving “multiple cars”.
Nine fire trucks and three aerial appliances helped fight the fire.
Fire crews from the Ōtara, Papatoetoe, Howick, Ōtāhuhu, Parnell, Auckland City, Ellerslie, Manurewa, Mount Wellington, Māngere stations attended the site.
A FENZ spokesperson said the fire was under control at around 7.30am and was now “winding down”.
“There are three trucks still at the scene and the cause of the fire is being investigated.”
Fire and Emergency NZ specialist fire investigator Kirk Davis said the investigation was still underway but that initial indications were that a lithium-ion battery may have sparked the blaze.
“In terms of the investigation here, there is some items of interest in the area of origin of the fire that I’ve found along with CCTV from the premises.”
Davis provided some safety advice around handling the batteries, saying damaged batteries being disposed of could enter thermal runaway.
“That can take hours or days to catch fire, so it’s just a reminder to anyone to be careful what you do with lithium-ion batteries, whether it’s a phone, laptop, or car battery.”
One neighbour told 1News they woke to the sound of loud banging and that the frequency of the noise made them check what was happening.
“I was worried, because when a fire starts, all the cars might burn, it’s really dangerous for us,” said Afa Wesche.
Natalia Tui, another local, said she was concerned because of all the nearby houses and businesses.
“Because of the popping, I knew it was something to do with tires, or because they’re wreckers, they’ve got gas and stuff.”