Blaze at Te Mata Peak

Late night fire on Te Mata Peak, on the face nearest Craggy Range Winery, just down from the hang-glider, paraglider launching pad at the top. 10 November 2015 NEWS Hawke's Bay Today Photograph by Dun

Fire crews are battling a large blaze on Te Mata Peak.

Six fire appliances responded after the alarm was raised about 9pm tonight.

An hour later, Rural Fire Service deputy principal Gordon Foster said it was not yet contained. He is confident it will be extinguished shortly.

It's proving difficult for fire fighters to get to it as the steep terrain prevents them from reaching the flames.

"It's a case of waiting for it to come to us," he said.

The fire covers an area of about 150 by 100 meters and is located at the top of the peak.

Hastings station manager Mike Manning said it was a "pretty good blaze."

The fire crew had been trialing an unmanned aerial vehicle in the bay over the past three days and this was used to assess fire.

"The UAV gives us a great indication of the size and scale of the fire," he said.

Mr Manning believed that the fire was caused by fireworks