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Summarised by Centrist
A Pakūranga family business was destroyed by fire after professional firefighters were unavailable during a scheduled strike.
The crowded building was without professional fire cover despite a fully staffed station being minutes away.
The fire broke out shortly after midday on Friday at The Pita House, a popular Middle Eastern grocer and takeaway that had operated for more than two decades.
Emergency services were called just minutes after professional firefighters began a one-hour strike. Fire and Emergency later confirmed that while the nearest paid station in Mt Wellington was “four minutes away,” it took about 30 minutes for volunteer crews to reach the scene.
Co-owner Ibrahim Hatem said the fire began in the rangehood and was initially small. “It started very small – minor. I tried to put it out… but I can’t control it,” he told the reporters. “I called straight away to the fire people.”
Fire and Emergency national commander Megan Stiffler said the service received 23 calls to 111 relating to the blaze. The fire was later ruled accidental.
Hatem’s family said they support firefighters seeking better pay but questioned the absence of safeguards. “We support you. Have the strike. We support the nurses, we support the doctors,” Hatem said. “But… have the emergency, don’t put people’s lives at risk.”
ACT’s Brooke Van Velden has since warned that strike action without effective contingency is “gambling with people’s lives,” while the union blames long-standing under-resourcing.
