Fire and Emergency says about 60 cars were on fire in an area covering more than a square kilometre. (file image) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
A large fire which broke out at a car wreckers in South Auckland on Friday night is not being treated as suspicious at this stage, both the police and Fire and Emergency say.
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said the fire in Papakura was reported about 10.30pm, and about 70 crew members attended.
About 60 cars caught on fire in an area measuring 30m by 40m, FENZ said.
The New Zealand Herald has reported that hundreds of cars had been left as blackened shells after the fire.
FENZ said the fire was extinguished by 2am, and two trucks were at the Papakura site this morning to monitor for hotspots.
But by early afternoon on Saturday, all crews had left the scene.
This fire came just weeks after another scrap metal fire in South Auckland's Favona which burned for more than a day.
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That blaze, at Sims Metal scrap yard, prompted a toxic smoke warning to people in the area, and Auckland train services had to be suspended after the evacuation of the control centre.
The fire was the ninth since 2017 at the Sims Metal scrap yard and the fifth described as serious by FENZ.
The company's general manager promised there would be a full inquiry.
While he did not want to speculate on the cause of the recent fire, he had said some materials in the scrap metal received at the site were problematic.