Seeka CEO Michael Franks insists there is nothing to suggest the overnight fire at their Oakside Post-Harvest site is suspicious.

'We will let the fire service do their investigations but at this stage there are no signs of foul play,” explained Michael.

The blaze that tore through a packhouse in Rangiuru is under investigation.

The fire is a setback so close to the start of the kiwifruit harvest, but Michael says it could have been much worse and should not seriously impact Seeka's ability to handle this year's crop.

The fire involved part of an existing building, but left part of the complex which has recently under gone an upgrade unscathed.

'While we have been processing kiwiberry (small early kiwifruit) on the site, no one was there at midnight when the fire started so no one was in danger,” he adds.

The fire has, however, highlighted water availability issues for fighting such blazes.

'We can't thank the rural fire service enough for what they have done,” says Michael. 'The quick and responsive action of the fire service has successfully averted a far bigger disaster.

'But the fact is the post-harvest industry is building facilities in areas where no water is available for firefighting.”

On-site water storage may not be the answer either. 'I don't think we'd ever have enough,” he adds.

'The fire service brought in five tankers, and 15 appliances from Te Puke, Katikati and Edgecumbe.”

Fire fighters worked to extinguish the blaze which began at midnight and destroyed the north shed component of the site. The shed is typically used later in the season for quality checking and repacking fruit prior to dispatch. It is also used for forklift storage.

The main pack-house, forecourt, curing canopy and rear coolstores are all unaffected by the incident. The central coolstores are partially affected to the extent of some damage to a common wall that is adjacent to the North Shed.

A preliminary inspection has shown that one coolroom with a capacity of approximately 250k trays was significantly affected. More detailed investigation and engineering reports will follow.

Oakside is expected to process more than nine million class one trays of kiwifruit in 2015 out of a total Seeka-handled volume of more than 24 million trays.

While kiwiberry is being processed on site, no fruit has been affected by the fire and the processing operation and equipment is now being reviewed to assess if it can stay on site or be moved to an alternate site.

'Seeka carries comprehensive insurance cover,” adds Michael. 'Our immediate focus is to render the site safe once the Fire Service has completed their job.

'The company will undertake the repairs and operational changes to enable the upcoming kiwifruit season to run without any adverse effect to our growers.”

Also, at this stage, Seeka does not anticipate any material affect to earnings, noting its comprehensive insurance cover. Seeka will advise under the continuous disclosure rules if this position changes.