Waitotara Hotel Fire. April 2025

Firefighters battled a large fire at a country pub and hotel in South Taranaki.

Fire and Emergency were called to the Waitotara Hotel shortly before 6pm on Thursday April 17, where crews found the building fully engulfed in flames.

At least eight crews are on scene with more en route. Patrons inside had evacuated the building before fire crews arrived.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said crews were called to a kitchen fire at the Waitotara Hotel shortly before 6pm yesterday. water availability in the area is also hampering the efforts of firefighters. He expected the building to have been destroyed in the blaze.

On the way to the location, they said the large amount of smoke coming from the building prompted a ‘second alarm’ response, requiring more firefighters.

The FENZ spokesperson said the fire had spread from the kitchen to the upper levels of the building.

At the peak of the fire, 80 firefighters from Waverley, Patea, Whanganui, Hawera, Stratford, New Plymouth were working to contain the blaze.

It was contained shortly before 10pm and later extinguished, with crews remaining on site overnight to dampen hot spots.

A fire investigator would be at the scene today to determine the cause, but it was not being considered as suspicious.

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