A precautionary street closure and evacuation of O’Connells shopping mall in central Queenstown ended quietly with the affected streets reopening after several hours, and nothing of concern apparently found by emergency services. Photo: Matthew MckewHe said a fire investigator was inspecting the area and the streets remained closed while checks were carried out for gas. A police spokeswoman said the operation had been run by Fenz with traffic control support provided by police. Police had remained in a supporting role, and it was not immediately clear exactly when the specific streets involved at reopened. Nothing suspicious had been reported to police, or required further investigation, and the police support role had ended as firefighters completed checking the area and left, she said.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 07, 2020 03:00 UTC