Photo: RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson
Fire and Emergency have discovered that it is a power cable – not a fuel pipe – which has caused a diesel leak in South Auckland on Monday.
Three crews were called to the scene on Great South Road in the suburb of Manurewa since 6.30am on Monday morning.
It had been contained and crews had left by 11am.
Northpower helped Fire and Emergency to establish that it was a power cable with fuel insulation around it in order to cool it down.
FENZ assistant commander Chris Delfos told RNZ it worked with Northpower to stem that leak.
He said it was unable to drain the pipe as that would damage the cable further, and cost the supplier millions of dollars.
Delfos said it was possible that the initial damage was intentional.
He said the cable began leaking at 3am, which had caused diesel to spill into the Papakura Stream.
He hoped enough had pooled on the nearby grass area, but said there would be “some ecological damage to the waterway”.
Fire and Emergency would work with Auckland Council to mitigate as much of that as possible, Delfos added.
He said there had also been a telephone line cut nearby, but would not comment further on that.
Firefighters at the scene captured the fuel which was leaking out of the pipe under a nearby bridge, and decanted it into a yellow bucket. The bucket was about a quarter-filled, which Delfos understood was around 75 litres.
There was initial confusion due to the U-GO Manurewa petrol station being cordoned off, but Deflos said that was due to it being still under construction.
Emergency services at the scene.
Photo: Kim Baker Wilson/RNZ
Earlier, Delfos told the New Zealand Herald that it appeared there had been some sort of “sabotage” to the pipe.
In a later press conference, Delfos said the damage was “possibly” intentional.
Fire and Emergency NZ and police were called to Great South Road before 7am.
Photo: Kim Baker Wilson/RNZ
A Northpower spokesperson said the cable affected is in the Vector network area.
“Northpower Energy Services contract to Vector for some work in the area,” a statement said.
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