Auckland SkyCity Convention Centre fire: Auckland commuters stuck in CBD
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
A massive fire that has engulfed the SkyCity Convention Centre in central Auckland has left some commuters trapped in the CBD.
Black smoke was billowing into the Auckland skyline after the fire broke out about 1.10pm on Tuesday.
Auckland Transport spokesman John Nottage said about 20 bus routes were affected by road closures and bus users were facing 'pretty major delays'.
Parts of Hobson, Nelson, Wellesley, Fanshawe and Victoria streets around the SkyCity precinct were expected to be closed for at least the next two hours, he said.
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Lights in the city centre were being prioritised , but the commute out of the city centre would remain slow, Nottage said.
A Stuff reporter at the scene said emergency services had widened the cordon around the building as 'choking acrid smoke' continued to pour from the roof at 3.50pm.
Auckland commuters with cars behind the cordon were now having their commutes home thrown into disarray.
Wilson Parking spokesman Matt Ransom said the company had 'pulled enforcement' of its CBD parking sites due to the convention centre blaze, meaning those who couldn't reach their cars wouldn't face extra bills.
Firefighters at the scene wearing masks were telling people at the cordon to move on and warning the smoke was a health hazard.
Smoke was lingering in the inner city streets as the wind died down and people were using handkerchiefs or coughing against the fumes.
Police officers wearing dust masks were directing traffic and turning around a stream of vehicles at intersections around the cordon, which now included the entirety of the SkyCity complex.
Auckland commuter Kieran Slee told Stuff his car was stuck in the SkyCity carpark and he didn't know how he was getting home to Pukekohe.
At 5.15pm, an Uber driver in central Auckland said the fire was 'good for business'.
'People are taking Uber instead of of walking, to get away from the smoke. And they want to get out of downtown,' he said.
Drivers who knew the streets well were at an advantage due to the CBD being 'really congested'.
'You have to be sneaky to avoid these closed roads.'
Earlier in the afternoon, traffic had come to a standstill on Hobson St and the gridlock appeared to be spreading.
Meanwhile, confused tourists were gathering at the widening cordons watching firefighters move through the haze.
'This is like a war zone,' one visitor said.
Google's traffic map showed significant delays on the roads around the CBD.
A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency New Zealand said hundreds of calls had been received about the fire at 1.10pm.
'People are advised to stay out of the CBD area,' they said.