SkyCity Convention Centre fire: Firefighters still battling flare ups, still can't access roof

Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Timelapse video by NIWA of the first 44 hours of fighting the fire.

Firefighters are still tackling flare ups days after the SkyCity Convention Centre fire erupted.

The latest was on Monday night, six days after a major blaze took hold, shutting down Auckland CBD.

Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing as staff from 10 different organisations scour the site, but authorities continue to refuse to be drawn on what sparked the blaze.

Fire crews begin the process of securing the facade of the Sky City Convention Centre.

Significant damage to the roof continues to hamper efforts to access the heart of the fire.

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It took more than three days for firefighters to get the huge blaze at the SkyCity Convention Centre under control.

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Firefighters still can't access parts of the roof to assess the full extent of the fire damage.

* SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre fire: Video shot inside shows roof destroyed**

In a statement supplied on Tuesday afternoon, Fire and Emergency New Zealand region manager Ron Devlin said the last flare up happened about 6pm Monday night.

Six days after the uncontrollable fire at the Sky City convention centre, two fire engines stay on guard at the scene. Some roads are still closed and burnt ash still lingers in the air.

The firefighter presence at the New Zealand International Convention Centre site had been scaled back and two trucks remain at the scene, Devlin said.

The investigation into the cause continued through the long weekend and is ongoing, including mapping affected areas.

'Representatives from 10 different organisations including police, insurers and other government agencies have been conducting a cooperative investigation,' Devlin said.

The weather was favourable over the weekend, allowing teams to examine the roof in baskets hanging from cranes.

But significant damage to the roof continued to hamper efforts to get on top of the centre to identify the origin of the blaze.

Fletcher Construction, which is building the under-construction centre, was providing help including large cranes.

Devlin could not place a timeframe on the investigation.

Stuff asked Fire and Emergency NZ a range of detailed questions on Tuesday morning, including exactly what investigators learned over the weekend and whether the site had suffered any further damage, but the organisation did not respond to those questions.

Fletcher Construction has been approached for comment.

Electrician Lindsay Rowlands, who was working on the floor below the fire when it erupted, told Stuff it was understood a blow torch-type tool was being used on a rubber waterproofing membrane.

It was accidentally left on and unattended, which sparked the blaze, he said.

Authorities have not been drawn on those claims, also made by other workers on site at the time.