A three-storey classroom block at an Auckland high school has been destroyed by a large fire, with dozens of firefighters fighting the blaze overnight.
Emergency services were called to Massey High School on Don Buck Road at 11pm on Monday evening where a large building had gone up in flames.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it responded with over 20 vehicles, including nine firetrucks, two ladder trucks and nine support vehicles with the blaze eventually being contained after midnight.
Massey High School principal Alastair Fairley told Newshub he woke up to a knock on the door from a police officer, "it's the call no one wants to get, that your school is on fire".
With 12 science classrooms in the building, Mr Fairley said the reality of the blaze is sinking in for teachers.
"The only upside is a lot of it is electronic, so it's in the cloud. But there's a huge number of physical resources in science too."
Some of Massey High School's "Junior Activity Week" will be impacted with students not involved in off-site activities told to stay home.
"There's a couple of silver linings. One is that a no one was hurt and it's had minimal disruption to learning. Senior exams have finished, we only have Year 9's and 10's on site," Mr Fairley said.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known and no injuries have been reported.
A notice on the school's website said the school would be closed on Tuesday as there is no power.
Mr Fairley thanked firefighters and police for their efforts in battling the blaze and a Ministry of Education representative who had arrived on site at 2am to discuss a plan for Tuesday.
"At this stage, power to the school has been cut and will remain off until the affected block can be isolated from the grid," the notice said.
"Fire crews will also continue with their work to ensure that the block is fully extinguished and to complete their follow-up processes."
The principal said there's been an outpouring of support, "it's the wider education community as well. Principals, past staff members have sent messages of support. We've got an amazing community."
Meanwhile, an investigation will get underway in Christchurch on Tuesday morning following a blaze in the central city on Monday night.
Fire and Emergency received multiple calls about a fire at a two-storey property on Colombo Street, just before 9pm.
It's understood the building was derelict and popular with squatters.
Area Commander Dave Berry told Newshub the fire began on the second floor and was well involved when they arrived.
Five separate appliances were required and a scene guard remains in place.
