Susie Nordqvist: caller on the fire at a New World supermarket in Auckland’s Victoria Park

A major fire has engulfed a central Auckland supermarket, with acrid smoke billowing across the CBD since 11am.

The Victoria Park New World's been evacuated - with more than 30 firefighters racing to the scene.

Caller Susie Nordqvist says homeowners in the surrounding neighbourhoods have been ordered to close their windows - and reports claim people can see the smoke from as far as Auckland's North Shore.

"We've heard it may have started in a storeroom, but that's just word of mouth at the moment. It's caused a lot of damage and traffic disruptions this afternoon."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk ZEDB. Follow
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Big News Today are a fire at Victoria Part Let's
go live now to Susie Norkwist, who is at Victoria
Park New World. Susie, good afternoon, Good afternoon, So what
is the latest? What are you seeing? Are you directly
outside the supermarket as we speak.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
This is a pretty huge response in spectacular themes here
at Victoria Park New World, which is in central Auckland.
Firefighters are still battling displace. They will call to the
fire about eleven twenty this morning, and I're battling it
from all angles. Really. From here, I can see sort
of cherry pickers from up above fighting the fire. They've

(00:53):
busted the hose has actually just busted through the side
of a New World. You can see where the smoke
has charged aside of the building. And look there are
hundreds of people gathered around from members of the public,
curious and of course firefighter from all across Auckland and
people in Ponsmanby, which is a nearby suburb, are being
told to close their windows Grayland as well. They've been

(01:17):
pictures circulating showing that people can actually see this across
the bridge in Auckland's north shore and Takapoona, So that
gives you a sense of how big this event is.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Anyone injured? Do we know?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Prior an emergency have told us that everyone made it
out safely, which is good news. Construction workers were on
site at the time. And this talk that the spine
may have started in the storeroom underneath the building, though
there's actually a car park, and I was talking earlier
to a woman whose vehicle is actually in that car park.
She said, there are a few vehicles down there. So look,

(01:51):
we'll hear more about that, and actually shortly there's going
to be immediate briefing so we will be able to
clarify some of those details.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Excellent, And is there any word at all yet on
how it started.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
We have heard that it may have started in a storeroom,
but that is sort of just word of mouth at
the moment. But look, it's caused a lot of damage
and traffic disruptions here this afternoon. Obviously nearby suburbs, as
they say, have been told to close their windows. Look
it's not PKR yet, but later on, you know, it

(02:21):
could cause some chaos on the roads as well, with
nearby roads closed all around.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yeah, and from when you're standing, you've got any idea
of the level of damage?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Are we looking at a complete rebuild here?

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Look, I'm no expert, but I'm looking one side and
there's this holes that have been busted from the fire
pose all across the builder on one side of the building.
But yeah, I mean, I would say it'd be a
huge reefer after this.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Susie, thank you very much for speaking with us. Stay
safe and we'll catch up a little bit later this afternoon.
That is News Talks EDB Susie norkwith outside the scene
of the large fire at Victoria Park, New World.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
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