Two teenagers are being spoken to by police as a deliberately-lit fire engulfs a large area of scrub in the eastern hills of Lower Hutt tonight.
The pair were handed into police by members of the public and the fire service just after 9pm, says central police communications Inspector Mike Coleman.
Police are talking to the teenagers about the fire, which is just east of Waterloo in Lower Hutt, he says.
Fifteen appliances - including the Wellington City Council's rural fire unit - have been battling the flames since 7.45pm.
Fire service central shift manager David Meikle says the fire - which covers approximately 200 to 300 square metres - is no threat to nearby residential properties.
"It's burning up hill away from any property,'' he says.
