[2][3] Media organisations including TVNZ were impacted by building evacuations and street closures, leading to disruptions in national broadcasts and programming.

[4] The effort to put out the blaze resulted in a large emergency service response, including mobile alerts issued by Civil Defence.

[3] The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management issued a mobile alert following the fire, warning Auckland residents to stay away from the city.

[8] Just after 1:00PM on Tuesday 22 October 2019, construction workers began to evacuate the building site of the New Zealand International Convention Centre.

[10] An hour after the event unfolded, Auckland mayor Phil Goff reportedly claimed he and other council staff had been watching the blaze, and that it had already spread right through the western and eastern sides of the building.

[5] It was reported that people in nearby buildings claimed the heat could be felt on windows, and pedestrians began to gather on Queen Street to watch the smoke as the blaze grew bigger.

[4] The fire was under control by Thursday evening, but firefighters continued to monitor hotspots in the building on Friday.

[15] Four people were injured in the incident; three were treated for minor injuries at the scene, and another was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a moderate condition.

By Thursday, officials advised nearby residents to keep windows closed and shut down external ventilators in their buildings if necessary.

Auckland Council issued a safety warning to residents as toxicology tests were being conducted to determine if the water posed a threat to human health or sealife.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern publicly praised the firefighters involved in the effort, describing them as "incredibly professional" and insisting that it would not change plans for the APEC conference in 2021.

She visited the site alongside Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, who also praised firefighters, stating "they have done us proud.