KEY POINTS:
A large scrub fire near Taupo is threatening nearby houses.
The fire in Waitahanui, 12km southeast of Taupo, was being attended by one fire truck and one tanker with others on their way, a Fire Service spokeswoman said.
Leslie French from the Waitahanui Lodge said the fire was threatening some houses.
"It's on the other side of their fences, right in their backyards basically," Mrs French said.
She said the smoke was causing traffic on State Highway One to travel slowly and a local road had been cut off by fire hoses.
"It's affected my husband's fishing. I poked my head out myself. It looks like a gooder," she said.
Senior fire communications officer Mau Barbara said the fire was threatening homes and had already engulfed a shed.
He said the scrub fire covered roughly 250 square metres and six fire trucks and a helicopter were fighting the blaze.
Mr Barbara said there had been no reports of evacuations or injuries so far.
- NZPA / NZHERALD STAFF
