Nobody has been hurt in a gas explosion in a Wellington suburb.
A Fire Service shift manager said a gas main ruptured on Westchester Drive in Churton Park.
"We understand that the gas was ignited by an electrical discharge of some sort," he said.
He did not know how big the explosion was but said there were no injuries.
Firefighters are standing by, waiting for utilities to be turned off.
A police spokeswoman said police were alerted to the incident at 1.40pm by the Fire Service.
"They just let us know that potentially gas mains have been hit when some contractors have been digging in the area . . . and of course the power lines have then arced and set off a small vegetation fire there."
The fire was around the area of 223 Westchester Drive.
The spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported and some houses may have been evacuated if they were close to the fire.
Furlong Crescent resident Nicola Adams was evacuated from her home after hearing "a big bang".
The power went out at Adams' house and she went outside to see the fire, which is a few houses away from hers.
"Some workmen had been doing some digging around our area, they've dug into our pipe and there's a massive gas leak and flames is what we saw," she said.
"It wasn't massive, the fire. But it's going down a bank."
Firefighters keeping the area damp told Adams the fire was actually a good thing, as it was stopping the gas from spreading through the area.
"They've actually hit a major gas line, not just a domestic one," Adams said.
"It's going to take some time to turn it off."
Adams was told to evacuate and come back in a few hours for an update.
She had originally felt nervous until the Fire Service turned up.
She and her family were now spending the afternoon at a friend's house.
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