Staff are still searching for a few cats unaccounted for after a fire at a Wellington veterinary clinic and cattery overnight.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said they were called to the scene in Kilbirnie at 11.50pm last night. The blaze was extinguished at around 2.30am this morning.
CareVets director Nick Cooper said some cats ran out of the building during the incident, with one found hiding outside the clinic this morning.
He said staff were worried about the missing cats.
Eight cats which were evacuated by firefighters were taken to the After Hours Vet Clinic by ambulance and treated as a precaution. One cat was placed on oxygen by paramedics.
Most of the cats have now been transported to CareVets in Porirua, Cooper said.
A fire investigator is assessing the cause of the fire and whether it is safe for staff to enter.
This is preventing staff from accessing the IT system to contact some of the cat owners. Some have been contacted already, with staff aware their cat was staying at the clinic.
Cooper said the emergency response overnight was "phenomenal".
The New Zealand Veterinary Association and vets from around the country have been in touch to offer their help, he said.
"It's an amazing community."
Fire severely damages Wellington veterinary clinic, animals inside
Firefighters evacuated some cats and there are some animals unaccounted for, FENZ said.
New Zealand
8:26am
The fire alarm system at the facility alerted Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Cooper and tenants in houses which make up part of the building the fire took place in.
Cooper said equipment in the vet clinic has been damaged.
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