Photo: Sarah PritchettA spark from a welder is believed to have caused a fire at a $75 million apartment complex under construction in downtown Auckland. Firefighters have now extinguished the blaze after the building site in Graham St was evacuated. The site was evacuated and the thick plume of smoke seen around the city was burning plastic, the worker said. The building under construction is the Safari Group's Ramada Hotel and Suites Victoria St, a $75m Auckland project with 66 private apartments and 48 hotel apartments. The blaze was visible across the city, with thick plumes of black smoke drifting over the Auckland skyline.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 12, 2019 20:26 UTC