Hundreds of firefighters are battling large scrub blazes as dry weather has created tinderbox conditions across the country, the Fire Service says. Blazes in Canterbury, Marlborough and Manawatu are keeping about 330 firefighters busy.
As large-scale scrub fires continue to burn across tinder-dry farmland, the Fire Service says the country has seen a 50 per cent jump in the number of rural fires this year.
Hundreds of firefighters, mostly volunteers, have battled rural blazes across the country over the past couple of days.
Therehave been 130 big fires between October 1 and January 31 - almost half as many again of the 87 fires over the same period a year earlier, said National Rural Fire Authority national fire officer Kevin O'Connor.
"The hot, dry conditions are beginning to bite, and we're urging people to be especially careful and respect fire restrictions."
In the last fire season - from October 1, 2013 to March 31 last year - there had been 176 fires, and it was highly likely this year's total would significantly exceed that figure.
Blazes in Canterbury, Marlborough and Rangitikei have kept about 330 firefighters busy in recent days. A fire that started on Tuesday and ripped across about 400ha of farmland near Onamalutu, in southern Marlborough, was one of the most dangerous the area's principal Rural Fire officer Richard McNamara had seen.
Burnt out remains of a house on Roberts Road in Hei Hei near Christchurch. Photo / Martin Hunter
Five crews had stayed at the scene overnight to control the flames that continued to burn. At times the flames were only metres from homes but no properties had been lost.
"Generally the fire has burned across the land at ground level, but at times earlier today, flames were shooting 30m into the air and leaping tree to tree."
The fire had travelled close to powerlines and residents had been warned power could be cut off.
A helicopter filling a monsoon bucket to help fight the blaze had crashed, but the pilot had walked away unscathed, police said.
Meanwhile, roads were closed in Oxford, Canterbury, as fire crews worked to contain a blaze that started on Wednesday and stayed overnight to damp down hotspots.
In the North Island, an incinerator could be to blame for sparking a 2km-long fire which threatened forestry near Bulls, Rangitikei. Twenty-three fire engines from as far as Levin were called as well as three helicopters and a fixed-wing aeroplane.
The blaze started at a Santoft Rd property, a strong westerly wind spreading it east across dry paddocks as it skirted a crop field before reaching a block of young pine.
Manawatu fire area commander Mitchell Brown said the cause was still under investigation but "there have been reports the fire started from an incinerator".
Fire crews also had to deal with a number of blazes that flared up at Cust, just north of Christchurch, on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, a house was destroyed and hundreds of residents forced out of their homes when a scrub fire struck the western Christchurch suburb of Hei Hei.
Bryce McIntyre desperately moved stock and hauled treasured family items out of the home he shares with wife Hannah as the fire raged across their sheep farm overnight on Wednesday.
"We got most of the stock moved about 3 o'clock [yesterday] morning when the fire first came up over the hill."
Mr McIntyre and his family were back at the house yesterday evening but keeping a wary eye on a small blaze that had ignited nearby, ready to leave the property at a moment's notice.
