From Stuff:

Meter blast sounded like bomb:

A power meter board explosion which caused a fire at Parklands shopping centre was so loud it sounded like a bomb going off and was so hot it turned steel to liquid.

Riddick Electrical owner Blair Riddick, whose company had been contracted to rewire the building, said the intensity of the electrical fire was so great it warped steel roofing beams and turned a 4mm thick meter board cover into molten steel.

"People said it sounded like a bomb going off," Mr Riddick said.

The repair job would be massive, he said.

All but two shops affected by the fire on Friday were back up and running yesterday and the landlords were keen to let customers know.

Westwill Properties director Glenys Waters said there were very few customers at Parklands yesterday despite all businesses opening, except for the library and the supermarket.

"People aren't around today because they think everything is closed," Mrs Waters said.

Builders and electricians had been working around the clock to repair the fire damage and set up two generators, she said.

"The electricians have been brilliant doing everything they possibly could."

Supervalue supermarket, which was extensively smoke-damaged, would take at least two weeks to reopen, she said.

"It's a mess. She has to start from scratch, there's nothing she can salvage," he said.

Virtually 100 per cent of stock would be thrown out due to smoke damage, she said.

"Smoke leaves an oily residue and you can't get rid of it."

Puke Ariki manager Bill Macnaught said the library was expected to open next week.

"We have some water damage to the carpet and a bit of smoke residue in the library, but the big problem is the lack of power," Mr Macnaught said. No books were damaged in the fire.

Books that were borrowed from the library could be returned to Puke Ariki or any other library in the district, he said. As of yesterday all other shops were operating within their normal working hours.

Four fire crews were called to the centre on Friday afternoon after the supermarket power meter board malfunctioned.