A Fire Service hazards team is working to contain an unknown chemical that has killed pigs and a cat at a farm near Ashburton.
Emergency services were called to the Cochranes Road property when the white powder was found in a shed around 8:30am this morning.
Ashburton chief fire officer Allan Burgess says workers wearing spill gear and breathing apparatus are removing the chemical, while locals undergo decontamination.
“It’s just normal procedure with the Fire Service that with anybody that gets exposed to those products you set up a decontamination system and that’s just normal procedure,” he says.
Residents told emergency services the animals were exposed to the chemical and later died.
RadioLIVE