Picton fire chief scolds social media pests

Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Wayne Wytenburg
Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Wayne Wytenburg

A fire chief woken early on Monday morning to attend to a collapsed building façade is angry people taking photos for Twitter and Facebook were there before he was.

Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Wayne Wytenburg was called to a wall collapse on High St following the magnitude 7.5 quake which struck south of the tourist town just after midnight.

He found the façade of Seamonkeez Jetski Hire and the Indulge Ice Cream Parlour and in rubble. But that wasn't all Mr Wytenburg found.

"Even before the brigade was out here, and while we're here, people are trying to get in to get their good shots," he told Newshub.

"It's just really disappointing that people take some sort of joy in other people's misery. People just need to stop doing it. It's just really, really bad, and dangerous as well."

His team have been working to secure the premises so looters don't make things worse for owner Mike Stewart, who found out his businesses had been hit when his son saw a picture on Facebook.

"We thought he was having us on, but soon realised he wasn't kidding," said Mr Stewart.

"People that want to get stuff on social media so quickly," said Mr Wytenburg. "That's very, very disappointing."

The brigade has been out and about, checking on the small town's large elderly population and nearby settlements in the Marlborough Sounds.

The ferry terminal is closed due to a broken front door.

"We've had some liquefaction down on the foreshore this morning, we've had the old railway station where Subway is, the chimney has been compromised in the old building, and there's been some severe flooding."

Newshub.