Wellington building fire update #1
16 Haratua 2023
Fire and Emergency is responding to a significant building fire in Wellington.
Crews were called to the Adelaide Rd building at 12.25am. Upon arrival, crews found a well involved fire on the top floor. The fire was quickly elevated to fifth alarm, with 20 appliances on the scene as of 4am.
So far, 52 people have been accounted for from the building, with a number of people still unaccounted for.
Fire crews rescued five people off the roof of the building using an aerial appliance.
Adelaide Rd is closed from John St. Crews will be working on site through the morning, with the road expected to remain closed during this time.
Power has also been impacted in the area with the building’s power needing to be isolated.
Incident Controller Mike Dombrowski says residents in the area should stay inside with their windows and doors closed due to the smoke plume.
ENDS
For more information, please contact the Fire and Emergency New Zealand media team.
027 591 8837
Spokespeople also available in te reo.