Story: Fires and fire services

Emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation

An elderly woman is evacuated from the suburb of Parnell, Auckland, during a chemical emergency in February 1973. When leaking drums containing a defoliant were dumped on a section in the suburb, fumes affected many people, including firefighters who were called in to deal with the problem. Thousands of people had to be evacuated, and 643 received hospital treatment. Procedures for dealing with chemical emergencies were reviewed after this experience.

Using this item

New Zealand Herald
Reference: Gavin McLean, Fires & firefighting. Wellington: Grantham House, 1992, p. 120

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Fires and fire services - Towards a national fire service', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/21878/emergency-evacuation (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 11 Mar 2010