Five take in smoke

Five people were taken to hospital last night after a fire ripped through a shed at Tarata.

The five, believed to be firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation, were taken to Taranaki Base Hospital by ambulance as a precaution.

The fire started shortly after 7.30pm with four fire trucks attending from both Inglewood and Stratford.

It took four pumps and a tanker to put out the blaze.

New Plymouth Fire Brigade senior station officer Hamish Smith said the 8sq m shed had a quantity of Roundup, copper sulphate and paint.

"The copper sulphate burns off pretty quickly into the atmosphere but Roundup, the stuff to kill your weeds, is flammable ," he said.

Once the fire was out, fire officers dampened down the area and searched for signs of gas.

The fire is under investigation by the fire safety officer Matt Crabtree as the cause is unknown.

- © Fairfax NZ News