Watch: Three of Waipu's main retail businesses destroyed by fire

September 30, 2018

It's a disastrous start to the school holidays for the small town in Northland.

Drone footage has captured the extent of damage sustained by a cafe and deli in Northland after it was gutted by a large fire overnight.

The Waipu Café and Deli was destroyed in the blaze while local businesses Waipu Pharmacy and Harker Herbals also sustained damage.

Cally James, an assistant in the local pharmacy next to the cafe and deli said the blaze could be heard from far away.

"I could hear popping from my house and I couldn't work out what it was," she said.

"Somebody sent me a text saying, 'do you know about the fire?' so I came down and had a look at it and it was just very scary."

Ms James said the fire would have a lasting impact on the community.

"It will definitely affect all the businesses in the area. We're a little town, it's the only pharmacy in town. There are another couple of delis but that was a very special deli."

Firefighters were called to the blaze in Waipu’s town centre at about 1.20am.

The large blaze also damaged an adjacent pharmacy in the Northland town.

The town centre remains closed between Nova Scotia Drive and St Marys Road, and the public has been asked to avoid the area.

An asbestos risk prompted fire officials to request that residents stay indoors. The fire also caused a power outage in the area, authorities said.

“We will work hard to get services back up and running ASAP,” Waipu Pharmacy promised its customers on Facebook this morning. “Kia Kaha Waipu.”

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