A stretch of State Highway 51 in Napier has reopened after a chimney fire at a factory this morning saw it briefly close.
A Fire and Emergency (FENZ) spokesperson said crews were called to the chimney fire at about 9.30am today.
FENZ earlier had about 20 firefighters responding, the spokesperson said, adding “the chimney is about 40 to 50 metres in the air” so an aerial ladder fire truck was used.
State Highway 51 was briefly closed between Awatoto Rd and Farndon Rd in Clive. It reopened at about 11.10am.
Debris from the fire had fallen onto the road but was cleared.
Ravensdown, an agricultural cooperative that produces fertiliser, confirmed the fire was at one of its plants.
A statement from chief operating officer Mike Whitty confirmed the fire at Awatoto Works had been “fully extinguished”.
“No one was hurt and all staff and contractors are safe and accounted for,” he said.
“The fire was contained to two chimney stacks that had previously been decommissioned and were in the process of being dismantled. There has been no damage to neighbouring buildings.”
Production at the plant would not be affected, Whitty added.
“We are now working with utmost safety and care to stabilise and clean up the area and are conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.
“We are grateful for the excellent and professional response from Fire and Emergency New Zealand and thank the local community for their understanding and support during this incident.”
