It took a borrowed ladder truck from Dunedin to ensure a major fire in Invercargill's historic First Presbyterian Church was totally out, but the officer in charge of the scene has praised first responders for their efforts.
Fire broke out early this morning in the huge void between the ceiling and the roof.
Acting Southland assistant area commander Neil Ladbrook said when five appliances and more than 30 firefighters arrived at the Tay St landmark about 5.40am smoke could be seen billowing from the roof, although there were no flames outside, only inside.
"Aggressive hits'' to the roof and the copper dome atop it stopped the fire from spreading, he said.
"It was an excellent stop. We know the value to Invercargill of that beautiful church and did our best to save it.''
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered through doors on the east and north and climbed more than 20m into the ceiling void - a task made difficult because the the century-old ornate brick church was being renovated, Mr Ladbrook said. Some staircases had been removed for renovations and there was scaffolding in place.
Mr Ladbrook said the main fire soon appeared to be under control but it was difficult to tell because of the size and shape of the void.
"It's like a big hollow cone up there under the dome.''
Invercargill's ladder truck was used to gain access from the outside but it was not long enough to reach to the top of the roof, he said.
Attempts were made to reach a manhole on a lower roof while the longer ladder truck was driven from Dunedin.
Once it arrived, firefighters entered the void through manholes on the east and west sides of the building. Using infrared cameras they were able to tell there were no remaining hot spots, he said.
During renovations asbestos was found. Mr Ladbrook said that meant safety precautions were taken, with only a limited number of firefighters able to
enter the building, and a shower and decontamination unit being set up for them in a Southern Institute of Technology carpark next door.
Fire investigators began their work late in the morning. Mr Ladbrook said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
Church elder and First Church Heritage Buildings Charitable Trust chairman William Watt arrived at the church about 8am with building plans to assist firefighters.
He said the $300,000 renovations were nearing completion and repainting of the interior had just finished.
The building was insured and assessors arrived to inspect it late in the morning, but Mr Watt said it was too early to say what would happen next.
"It will be one day at a time for a while. We don't know yet how much damage has been done or what will be required to fix it.
"We were hoping to be back in there [for services] in a couple of weeks, but that isn't going to happen.''
