Fire crews on site after reports of asbestos contamination at the Pitt Street fire station in central Auckland, 10 October 2025. Photo: Finn Blackwell
Auckland's Pitt Street Fire Station will stay closed after the discovery of asbestos dust on Friday, while further testing is carried out.
Deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said three vehicles - an aerial appliance, a command vehicle and a fire pump - are undergoing deep-cleaning today at the request of firefighters, to get them back on the road as quickly as possible.
The Professional Firefighters Union said it would be urgently seeking answers from management over how the contamination happened.
However, Stiffler said the "unexpected" result - from a sample taken in July - showed the importance of the monitoring regime in place.
After identifying the presence of asbestos, the testing company immediately alerted Fire and Emergency.
"As soon as we got the verbal indicator, we requested that the regional manager go to the station, explain to the crews where the sample was, we've sealed the room, we've put in air monitors, and had already organised further testing of the station.
"And at the request of the firefighters, we included the trucks to be tested."
Swab testing and air monitoring would be carried out on Saturday, and Fire and Emergency had requested urgent turnaround of those tests on Monday.
Teams in hazmat gear can be seen outside the Pitt Street fire station following reports of asbestos contamination. Photo: Finn Blackwell
Stiffler said they had gone ahead with "precautionary" decontamination of the fire appliances in the meantime, but there was no reason to believe there had been any further spread of asbestos beyond the initial rooms since it was removed in September 2024.
The asbestos dust had been found in an unused utility room.
Firefighters on site last night underwent full decontamination at their own request.
"The firefighters had concerns, and they asked that one of our specialist teams come and talk to them about asbestos.
"The officer in charge decided to do precautionary decontamination. That was all at the request of the firefighters and at the decision of the senior station.
Fire crews on site after reports of asbestos contamination at the Pitt Street fire station in central Auckland. Photo: Finn Blackwell
"They just went through their process to give assurances to their workmates that they were safe."
Not the first time asbestos found in Pitt St station
Asbestos was found in the roof of the same station two years ago, which caused the station to close for tests and decontamination.
WorkSafe at the time said it regarded the asbestos as of "a high-risk nature".
The station had to be largely shut for almost three weeks.
In 2021, WorkSafe assessed Auckland fire stations for asbestos and asked for surveys and management plans, but it remains unclear where these checks got to.
FENZ's 2021/22 annual report referred to asbestos once: "We... successfully managed our maintenance and modernisation programmes, which includes... asbestos management."
The email from Fire and Emergency's national property manager to Auckland staff - seen by RNZ - said two rooms had returned positive results for asbestos in dust samples.
Asbestos was removed from the roof-level compressor room and the ground-level breathing apparatus (BA) testing and filling room in September 2024 and clearance certificates issued.
Two years ago, RNZ revealed firefighters' emergency breathing air-tank filling equipment had been contaminated with asbestos at Auckland City fire station over several years.
"In July 2025, further swab sampling was undertaken in both rooms as part of agreed testing of the compressor and associated equipment," the manager wrote last night.
"We have now received preliminary results of the swab tests back, although we don't have the report yet. Disappointingly, both rooms returned positive results for asbestos in dust samples."
The breathing apparatus compressor room had remained locked since April 2023, entered only for sampling and asbestos removal.
"After asbestos removal and cleaning in the BA testing and filling room, this room was left unsealed, although cylinder filling could not take place as the compressor has been out of use since April 2023. This room has now also been locked."
Precautionary air monitoring and swab testing around the station, including inside and immediately outside the testing and filling room was due to start at 10am.
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