The trailer unit of a NZ Post rig was destroyed in an early morning fire at Te Kūiti last week.
NZ Post lost about 2000 posted items when one of its long-haul trucks caught fire at Te Kūiti on Wednesday last week.
“At this stage, we are unable to clearly identify impacted items due to the nature of this incident,” the state owned enterprise said in a statement to the News.
“We apologise for any disruption and disappointment caused. If you did not receive something you were expecting, please contact our customer care centre.”
The incident was reported about 2am after the driver got out of his rig at the BP service station in Awakino Rd and noticed his trailer’s brakes were on fire.
He drove the vehicle around the corner to Carroll St, where flames quickly spread to the tyres, then engulfed the trailer. Te Kūiti’s volunteer fire brigade spent about two hours fighting the fire and mopping up, but the trailer was destroyed.
“The truck was travelling from Wellington to Auckland, with parcels on board bound for delivery in the Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taupō areas,” a NZ Post spokesperson said.
“Some of these were sent from the South Island and some from Wellington. Vehicle fires of this nature are very rare in the NZ Post network – the last time something similar occurred was around 15 years ago.
“NZ Post trucks are fully compliant and have up-to-date Certificate of Fitness (COF’s). This truck had a recent COF and follows a regular servicing schedule.
“The driver followed the correct safety procedures throughout the incident, and we are currently investigating the circumstances of the fire to identify the cause.”
