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Caroline Williams / Stuff
Firefighters have removed the iron panels for better access after a fire broke out in Ōrewa shops around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
A fire that broke out in a block of shops in Ōrewa, north Auckland, sent smoke into the air.
Video posted on social media showed smoke covering a commercial block on Moana Ave.
Carren Larking, a spokesman for Fire and Emergency NZ, said he received multiple calls around 9:30 a.m. Thursday about a fire at a bakery in the store block.
The first call 111 came from the bakery itself.
Larking said the fire in the roof void was contained but did not go out around 10:15 am There were no reports of injuries.
Four fire trucks and one aerial fire truck attended.
Larking asked people to avoid the Moana Ave area as it was a small street and the firefighters needed space to work.
A Stuff The reporter at the scene said firefighters were turning off hot spots at Orewa Bakery.
The bakery staff can be seen near the shop window.
Part of the roof of the building is burned and charred. Firefighters in a parking lot above the building have removed some of the iron panels for better access.
Police have cordoned off Moana Ave at the intersection of Hibiscus Coast Hwy.
Orewa residents at cafes along the coastal town’s main street are sitting oblivious to the action a block behind them.
Residents of a high-rise apartment building watch from their balconies.
Hellen Wilkins, operations manager for nearby Destination Orewa Beach, previously said the smoke from the fire had cleared by 10 a.m. as it appeared a hose had been used before firefighters arrived.
He said that firefighters had arrived after 9:30 a.m. M.
Wilkins said the block of stores included a bakery, laundry and cafe.
Once it was clear how many businesses were affected, he said the business association would ensure that the owners were supported.
“We need to make sure they are okay and emotionally okay.”
