Buildings and a campground in Kaiteriteri have been evacuated this morning as firefighters respond to a large gas leak near the beachfront of the popular tourist destination.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it was alerted to the leak shortly before 7am. Properties in the immediate area have been evacuated, roads are closed and cordons are in place.
Assistant District Commander Chris Best said that the leak appeared to have come from external gas tanks.
"Work is underway to ventilate buildings and clear gas from drains, but could take several hours," he said.
"It’s a lovely day here and many people would usually head to the beach at Kaiteriteri, but for today we are asking them to choose another destination while we make the area safe again."
Firefighters from Kaiteriteri, Motueka, Upper Moutere, Mapua and Nelson were involved in the response.
The local Kaiteriteri Reserve said "as a precaution, the immediate buildings and campground have been evacuated, along with the mains power supply to the particular area, which has been isolated".
"A road closure has been set up on the main road adjacent to the restaurant through Kaiteriteri," it said online.
"The area is under the authority of the emergency services and will be reopened once they have made the area safe again.
"Apologies for any inconvenience for travellers and our guests and thank you to our amazing emergency services team who are doing such a great job to keep everybody safe."
A police spokesperson said it was assisting with traffic management.
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