People sought in connection with a suspected P lab fire in west Auckland on Saturday may be in the country illegally, police say.
Witnesses saw a woman leave the flat on Waikaukau Rd, Glen Eden, shortly before it was engulfed in flames about 1am.
Detective Sergeant Peter Litherland said police had identified three to four men and one woman believed to have been living there and wanted to speak with them.
"We don't have any idea where they are. They obviously don't want to make themselves available to us."
Mr Litherland said some of the group were New Zealanders but others may be here illegally. He did not wish to disclose which country they were from.
It took more than 40 firefighters nearly two hours to control the blaze, which destroyed the flat, situated above businesses in the industrial area.
The owner of one of the businesses, who did not want to be named, said police had told him a P lab explosion had caused the blaze.
Police had taken a white van away for testing, said the man, whose business was destroyed as the premises and its contents were extensively smoke damaged.
Police confirmed the clandestine lab team attended but said results were not available.
Mr Litherland said the fire damage was too extensive to determine whether it had been a P lab.
The exact cause of the fire had not been established but all possible accidental causes had been eliminated.
Senior fire safety officer Roy Warren said firefighters had initially feared there were people trapped inside the building and so entered, only to find it vacant.
