An Indian restaurant and a supermarket were gutted in Takanini after a fire broke out
at a block of shops at Great South Road in Auckland on March 22, 2023, fire officials
said.
The owner of Shere Punjab, Harinder Paul Singh, and a few staff members were
rushed to the hospital with burn injuries. Singh told The Indian Weekender, “It was a
nightmare. I am still in shock. The shop has been totally damaged. I am still in the
emergency ward at Middlemore hospital. I can’t talk much.”
At least 40 firefighters and nine fire engines were reportedly rushed to the southern
suburb to control the blaze and assess the damage. Fire officials said at its peak the
blaze had engulfed an area of nearly 4,000 square metres.
Apart from Shere Punjab, two other shops were badly affected, including popular
Indian grocery shop Kwality Mini Bazaar. Its manager Rohit Sharma told The Indian
Weekender, “Our shop has been gutted. Thankfully there were no casualties, but it
was really bad. The insurance company people at the scene are still assessing the
damage.”
Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation. Talking to The Indian
Weekender on the morning of March 23, Shift Manager at Fire and Emergency NZ
Paul Radden said, “A team comprising three fire investigators is still at the scene to
determine the exact cause of fire. The attendance is not because of any suspicion,
but to find out the cause. It was a serious fire incident. We had a team of 40
firefighters attending to it last night.”