Fire at Flaxmere, Hawke’s Bay fruit and vegetable exporter – NZ Herald
More than 30 firefighters are at the scene of a large fire in Hawke’s Bay tonight, understood to be at Bostock New Zealand fruit and vegetable processing site in Flaxmere.
Firefighters received multiple 111 calls about 9.20pm, with witnesses quickly sharing footage and photos online.
No one has been injured but the initial response crew of three fire appliances was increased to eight – with a total of 32 firefighters on scene – soon after, Fire and Emergency’s central communications shift manager Mike Wanoa said.
The fire in an equipment workshop was “fully-involved” when firefighters arrived.
Janet Vaiusu-Tuala is at Te Aranga Marae about 100 metres away and saw the drama unfolding.
“I’m with the Hawke’s Bay Family Law Section lawyers at Te Aranga Marae for our Noho Marae and we saw smoke, and then flames and crackling.
“We were told it was at Bostock and the it was pallets that were on fire. We’ve gone inside now to await whether we have to be evacuated but it seems under control now.”
The fire was brought under control about 10pm, Wanoa said.
Crews from Napier and Hastings, along with volunteer firefighters from Havelock North, attended.
According to their website, Bostock New Zealand grows and exports organic apples, onions, squash, kiwifruit and grain.
Their organic apples are exported to more than 20 different countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, according to the website.
Owner John Bostock and his wife Vicki started as conventional apple and squash growers in the 1980s but later switched to organic after becoming “concerned with the industry’s liberal use of pesticides and other artificial substances”.