Nine fire trucks and around 50 firefighters are working to put out a large fire at a commercial building in Upper Hutt this afternoon.
The fire at a stacked firewood company, located in Trentham, was "well-alight", a Fire and Emergency spokesman told 1 NEWS.
Assistant area commander Jason Hill said the building is full of fuel and the roof is at risk of collapsing.
Mr Hill told 1 NEWS there were big black clouds of smoke pouring out of the building when they arrived because a diesel tank had ruptured.
The fire had structurally damaged the building, with its metal cladding burnt through in places, and the metal framing had warped in the intense heat, causing it to sag at one end. Firefighters are being kept away from the area.
The building is full of pallets of chopped firewood, he said, and vehicles, including a forklift and other heavy items such as a log splitter, is restricting access to the heart of the blaze.
Heavy machinery may need to moved and it could take a long period of time to fully extinguish the flames.
There is no risk to other buildings.
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