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The cause of a blaze that destroyed Matakana Automotive last Friday is yet to be determined.
A devastating fire in the early hours of Friday, November 25, has left an automotive business in Matakana Valley Road in ruins.
About 50 volunteer firefighters from all local brigades between Puhoi and Wellsford, as well as Silverdale and the Te Atatu aerial appliance, responded to the callout which was logged just before 2am.
The Matakana Automotive workshop and office was well ablaze by the time the brigades arrived.
Fire Service spokesperson Graeme Quensell says it was quickly assessed that no-one was inside the building and the emphasis was on containment. This was to ensure it did not spread to the nearby ITM and Matakana Marine.
It took about an hour to bring the fire under control.
“The volunteers did a remarkable job,” Mr Quensell says.
The intensity of the blaze buckled walls and roller doors, and warped the steel structure.
For the past 10 years, Matakana Automotive has been owned by Justin Telfer. It’s understood that the building was insured.
Special fire investigator Chris Lewis says the cause of the fire will not be known for sometime.
“The structure is too unsafe to allow anyone to go inside,” he says. “We’ve got lots of questions but no answers.
“We do know, however, that there were no heat or smoke detectors, or sprinkler systems installed. If there had been, it could have saved the building.”
