Timber fire at Auckland port

Firefighters have battled a blaze at Ports of Auckland where stacks of timber had ignited at Freyburg Wharf.

Three pumps and a hazardous materials unit attended the fire, just after 2pm today.

Brent Dunn, shift manager at the northern fire communications centre, told NZPA the timber had been treated with a substance called methyl bromide.

"The decontamination unit had to be brought in to make the area safe, and we used the port's fork hoist to get to the timber and douse it down," he said.

It is not known at this stage what caused the fire or how much timber was damaged.

One fire crew is still at the scene.

- NZPA