Fire and Emergency New Zealand has handed back the Victoria Park New World to its owners, more than 24 hours after the fire began.

Incident Controller Phil Larcombe confirmed that fire crews have now left the site.

“This was a challenging fire, because it was initially too dangerous to fight the fire from inside the building,” he said.

At the height of the response, there were 23 trucks, 80 firefighters, and support personnel involved.

“We were very relieved that all people in the supermarket were able to get out quickly and safely yesterday,” Larcombe said.

He thanked the firefighters, commanders, operational support, and partner agencies including Police, Hato Hone St John, Auckland Emergency Management, and the building’s owners.

He also reminded other businesses to make sure their fire evacuation schemes are up to date and meet requirements.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

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