Man remains in ICU, another discharged from hospital after Whanganui fire

July 21, 2019

A man seriously injured in a fire at a three-storey commercial building in Whanganui last night remains in the ICU in a stable condition at Whanganui Hospital.

A Whanganui DHB spokesperson this morning told 1 NEWS another man was treated but had since been discharged.

As many as 14 fire crews responded to the fire after being called to the building at the intersection of Taupo Quay and Victoria Ave at 8.45pm yesterday.

Sue Karantze, who was the owner of the building until October last year, told 1 NEWS the building was terribly earthquake prone.

She and her partner Tony made the decision to sell it once their application to demolish was declined .

Ms Karantze described the building as a "real oldie", with a beautiful wooden interior and original lifts.

The interiors of the first and second floors of the building had collapsed in last night's fire. Crews are awaiting an assessment from an engineer later today, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said.

Three fire investigators attended the scene overnight but are awaiting for confirmation of safe entry to the building to investigate further.

An aerial truck, pump, and command truck remain at the scene.

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