A scrub fire has broken out on Mt Wellington in Auckland.
Three appliances are battling the blaze on the east Auckland maunga, Fire and Emergency New Zealand's northern shift manager Carrin Larkin said.
She did not yet have information on how large the scrub fire was but said it was under control.
Alistair Hayward, who lives within walking distance of the mountain, said the ringing sirens and flashing lights alerted him to the fire.
"We could see the fire from up the road, it was quite big - it was surprisingly big," he said.
The location of the blaze proved tricky for firefighters to get to, as it could only be accessed by a steep mountain pass - forcing firefighters battle the blaze from the road around 50m away, Hayward said.
"It was very close to quite a big patch of pine trees and it was touch and go whether those trees were going to go up in flames," he said.
"It's so dry through there and there's just pine needles everywhere."
Hayward said firefighters did a great job in containing the blaze, as a row of brand-new town houses could've been in the firing line of the blaze.
A deep low-pressure system is directing southerly gales and powerful swells.