Firefighters have now got a huge scrub fire under control in Horotiu, north of Hamilton.
Fire Service communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said they had been called out to the fire around 4.40pm, which is near the Koura Drive interchange on SH1.
Waikato Fire Area commander Roy Breeze said the fire had spread to around 150m by 50m but was now contained. However, firefighters still had to go and uproot flax plants to put water on the roots and squelch any potential hotspots.
"It's contained but it's going to take quite a few hours to completely put it out, if not well into the night because of all the flax."
Up to, 15 fire crews responded including water tankers, a command unit, a fire and emergency executive officers and a rural fire officer, Dunbar said.