Busy Auckland mall evacuated after battery catches alight in store

Saturday shoppers were evacuated from a busy West Auckland mall after a lithium-ion battery caught fire in a store.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said it initially received reports of smoke in the vicinity, followed by reports of a fire in a store inside the NorthWest Shopping Centre.

Two pumps and an aerial unit attended the scene and the fire was extinguished at 12.07pm.

Crews had since started ventilating the building, the spokesperson said.

“Crews have since told us that it was a lithium-ion battery on fire inside a shop.”

A staff member at one shop in the complex said the fire seemed “relatively small” and that people were starting to filter back inside about 1pm.

Traffic is in places gridlocked on streets surrounding the mall, including the entry and exit points on Gunton Drive and Fred Taylor Drive.

Pictures posted to social media showed people standing outside the mall with fire engines parked nearby.

Shoppers were seen waiting outside in the sun while fire crews worked to put the fire out.

NorthWest Shopping Centre is one of Auckland’s most popular shopping centres, servicing West Auckland.