Two patients are still in a critical but stable condition after an explosion in Auckland central, Middlemore Hospital said on Saturday morning.
The bast, which injured five people, is believed to have been caused by a gas cooker explosion on a building site on Pakenham St West at about 6.30am on Friday.
Three patients who were also hit by the blast are in a stable condition, Middlemore confirmed.
On Saturday, the construction site was empty and fenced off from the public.
Ricky Wilson/Stuff
The construction site remains closed on Saturday – usually a workday – after a gas cooker exploded on Friday, injuring five people.
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A worker nearby said that work usually continues at the construction site on a Saturday, but no one turned up today.
A worker at a construction site near Wynyard Quarter said on Friday that he believed the explosion was caused by a gas cooker left on overnight.
“One of the boys was cooking some leftover meat last night and I think the gas cooker must’ve accidentally been left on.
“This morning when people opened it up, it exploded,” the worker said.
Ringo Harwood, a firefighter who was on the first truck to arrive at the scene, told Stuff the crew found four people standing by a shipping container.
“They had skin hanging off, some of their clothes had been blown off and what clothing did remain had to be cut off for us to reach the burns.
“After about four or five minutes the first ambulance arrived, but there were only enough ambulance personnel to take the first three injured parties.
“The final two had to wait 15 minutes before they were evacuated from the scene,” Harwood said.
ABIGAIL DOUGHERTY/Stuff
Burnt clothing could be seen on Friday morning at the site where five people were injured in the explosion.
WorkSafe has opened an investigation into the incident, which it has up to 12 months to complete.
“We can’t give details at this stage as inquiries are being carried out,” a WorkSafe spokesperson said.
A spokesperson from Hawkins Construction, who runs the site where the explosion happened, said the company is “working with relevant authorities to established exactly what occurred”.
The worksite is a part of Auckland council’s Eke Panuku development to regenerate Auckland city.
It’s part of a wider Wynyard Quarter development, which will include retail, office space, and car parks.
Construction at Pakeham started in early 2022 and will continue until 2025, according to an Auckland Council website.
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