A small North Island town has lost its lone supermarket after it was destroyed by fire.
The Four Square on the main street on Waipawa, which is also the main highway between Wellington and Napier-Hastings. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Flames ripped through the local Four Square in Waipawa, in Central Hawke's Bay, early on Sunday morning.
Four days on, residents are still coming to terms with the hole it has left in the community.
The building's owner Jason Wray only had a few words to describe how he was feeling.
"Gutting, heartwrenching, devastating, as a building owner it's devastating."
The fire took hold about 4.30am and it took about four hours to put out.
A day-care in the same building was also damaged and Wray said he was planning his next steps.
"Make sure all the tenants are OK, i.e. the day-care Foodstuffs and their staff are OK, just regroup, and the intention is to rebuild."
Building owner Jason Wray beside his fire ravaged property with his dog Bella. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Neighbouring store Tim Chote Appliances' manager Mark Eagle was at home asleep when the fire started.
"I was in a bit of a shock, I opened the bedroom window and I could see it from my place and it was pretty intense, it looked like half the street was engulfed, so yeah, got out of bed pretty quick," Chote said.
He rushed down to his store, but could only watch from across the road, hoping and wishing his shop would be OK. Luckily it was.
"You could obviously tell there was no flames in here but maybe even water damage 'cause they were pumping heaps of water around, especially on the wall here but it was untouched pretty much."
Lash and Brow Studio and Magnolia Gift Shop manager Tracy Te Meihana was a regular Four Square customer and said she would feel the store's loss keenly.
"My husband wanted to know if we had masking tape at the shop, 'cause we thought we were going to have to put draught stops under the door in case there was some kind of smoke damage," Te Meihana said.
"The first thing I thought was 'we'll just pop into the Four Square and get some', just without even thinking. So that's how important they are to us and how often we use them."
Waipawa is a small town of only a couple of thousand people.
Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker, whose offices were in Waipawa, said the community was feeling the pain.
"To see such a big space in the middle of our town, it's just a ruin and it's just heartbreaking, Walker said.
The council was organising transport for those who need help to get to the neighbouring town, Waipukurau to buy food, she said.
Fire and Emergency Hawke's Bay assistant area commander Glen Varcoe said investigators were still identifying the cause.
"It started within the baking kitchen area, we don't know exactly any of the conditions or what happened," Varcoe said.
"That will be brought out in the fire investigation report in due course when it's completed."
The report would be finished in about a week, he said.
In a statement from Foodstuffs' North Island Support Centre, Four Square Waipawa owner-operator Rachel Williams said she wanted to be "back on the shop floor" soon.
"We are exploring options as to how we can continue to serve the community and our customers in the interim, and we look forward to sharing more once we are in position to do so," she wrote.
"But right now we are focused on looking after one another and the wellbeing of our team."
The demolition begins at the fire ravaged building, which Four Square leases along with Lulu and Max out-of-school care. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
