The manager of the company that owns the Ōtāhuhu scrap metal yard where a major fire broke out says there are sorry for the disruption it has caused.
Sims Metal General Manager David Burrows (based in Australia) told Checkpoint the company will conduct a full investigation.
He said they do not think the fire was started by arson. But he said the site closed at about 5pm on Tuesday and the fire started at around midnight.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions or speculate as to the cause of the fire but what I can say is that there are materials that we receive in the scrap metal ... that are problematic. And one of those in particular is lithium ion batteries, they certainly are a headache for the industry."
Burrows said they have fire breaks around materials, fire monitors and misting systems, as well as handheld fire extinguishers on the site.
