Three injured in Auckland substation fire causing power outages

Three people were injured in a large fire at a Vector electrical substation on McNab Street in Penrose on Thursday afternoon. One person was taken to Middlemore Hospital in serious condition, while two others in moderate condition were transported to Auckland City Hospital. One person was also treated for burns by an attending ambulance.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls about the blaze at 3.23pm or 3.24pm. The fire was escalated to a third alarm, with 12 appliances responding to the scene to protect neighbouring warehouses.

The fire caused significant power outages, initially affecting up to 7,000 customers according to a Vector spokesperson. Vector reported that approximately 3,000 customers had power restored through network switching. Outages were reported in Penrose, Ellerslie, Mt Wellington, and Greenlane.

Thick smoke from the blaze was visible from the North Shore, Sylvia Park, and the Southern Motorway. Fire and Emergency advised Penrose and Onehunga residents to close windows and doors. Health New Zealand issued an alert for sensitive individuals to be cautious of smoke inhalation.

Compiled from reports by Stuff, 1News, The Post and NZ Herald.