Download PDF: Issue 9 - New Zealand Fire Service

Incidents
Sprinklers could
have saved plant
Photo courtesy The Christchurch Press
Ironically a fi re safety offi cer had
visited the premises two years ago.
Three cars
destroyed
Crews from Pukete, Hamilton and
Te Awamutu battled a fi re that
destroyed three cars in a shed at
Whatawhata. The heat caused nearby
windows to crack and explosions,
possibly caused by paint tins or
acetylene tanks, added to the risks.
18 Issue No. 9
Pukete fi refi ghter Grant
Collins at the scene.
Fires in paper recycling plants are
difficult to put out. A blaze that
destroyed a huge plant in Christchurch
in March burned for at least a week.
Deputy chief fire officer Greg
Crawford says the compressed bales
of paper had to be left to burn
themselves out because attempts
to break the stacks up and pour
water on them were creating an
environmental hazard.
The building, which was not
sprinklered, was destroyed. Greg says
ironically a fire safety officer had
visited the premises two years ago
and warned the owners that if the
building was not sprinklered they
would face a total loss if there was a
fi re.
“Sprinklers would have saved it.”
The plant was one of the largest
paper recycling operators in
Christchurch. The blaze is believed to
have been caused by an electrical
fault.
Photo courtesy Waikato Times