Auckland's busiest fire station is expected to be closed for several more weeks after more asbestos was discovered in the building.
On April 20, the city's central fire station was closed after asbestos was detected on two occasions - in the basement and in a wall after a drill was used.
This morning, FENZ said "traces of white asbestos" were found in a meeting room and two offices in the building's southern wing after 50 surface samples were analysed.
"We have advised the staff who have been working in these locations, which have been secured. We are now seeking further expert advice and working with specialists on the next steps in our investigations," the agency said in a statement.
A fibre once used frequently in construction, asbestos has been linked to disastrous health effects, including lung scarring, asbestosis and cancer.
White asbestos, known as chrysotile, is the least dangerous form of asbestos.
In a statement, the Professional Firefighters Union said staff would work from other fire stations - including Grey Lynn, Avondale, and Balmoral - until asbestos could be removed.
It said firefighters couldn't access personal belongings and uniforms onsite and that hotels were being used to house staff.
"The union's position is that firefighters will not be moving back in to the identified areas where asbestos has been found until it has been safely removed by competent and trained contractors and renovations completed," a union spokesperson said.
"FENZ is hoping to prioritise decontamination of the located areas to allow staff access to their lockers to use uniform that has not been contaminated."
Asbestos removal was "expected to take several weeks", the union spokesperson said.
SHARE ME