Firefighters are still struggling to contain a huge blaze that is covering 1900 hectares near Nelson on New Zealand's South Island.

"We don't have total control of that area, we're just fortunate it didn't actually grow yesterday," Fire and Emergency New Zealand's John Sutton told media on Thursday.

"But I would expect by the end of the day, we'll be able to say that we have containment," he added.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who visited the region on Thursday, said seeing the fire up close was confronting.

"While I'm immensely relieved there's been no loss of life and want to thank all of those involved in tackling this immense fire, it's clear there are going to be some difficult times ahead until we get the fire fully under control and people back to their homes," she said in a statement.

So far emergency services confirmed that one property was destroyed while more than 400 people had to evacuate 183 homes when the inferno approached.

Richard Kempthorne, the mayor in the Tasman district in the north of New Zealand's South Island, said evacuations would likely remain in place for a few days.

Investigators believe that a contractor ploughing a paddock in Pigeon Valley, about 30 kilometres from Nelson, accidentally started the fire on Tuesday.

No injuries have been reported but 13 sheep had to be put down. </s> Dozens of people have fled their homes after properties were destroyed by a large forest fire at the top of New Zealand's South Island.

The blaze started on Tuesday at around 2pm local time (1am UK time) near the small community of Wakefield, around 16 miles south of Nelson.

Fanned by near-30mph winds and extremely dry conditions, the fire was reported to have grown to almost 2,000 hectares by Wednesday.

The winds had "led to the fire creating its own extreme behaviour", according to Tasman Council.

"Due to this, crews have not been able to access the forest areas and are instead focusing on controlling the fire when it is spotted onto grassland," a spokesman for the authority added.

More than 60 firefighters, many of them volunteers, battled the blaze overnight, with several helicopters and planes involved in the operation.

The fire burned through the settlements of Pigeon Valley, Eve Valley and Redwood Valley, the latter where several homes have been lost, according to the Tasman Marlborough Fire Area.

About 150 homes have been evacuated and at least 70 households registered at a shelter for evacuees overnight.

Residents downwind of the fire have been warned to be ready to leave at short notice.

The area is mainly lifestyle blocks and farms, with a significant quantity of plantation forestry on the hills behind.

Thick smoke could be seen many miles away and there were reports of eye irritation and ash falling onto the streets as far away as Nelson.

New Zealand's national institute of water and atmospheric research said that the smoke could reach north of Wellington, New Zealand's capital, which sits at the bottom of the North Island - more than 120 miles from the fire.

The Nelson-Tasman region has been extremely dry for many weeks, with a lack of rain leading to strict water restrictions being imposed earlier this week.

Some rain had been expected early on Wednesday but it turned out to be minimal.

Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne told Radio New Zealand that emergency services were doing their best in difficult conditions.

He said: "It will be hours, if not a day or two, before the fire is completely out."

He told TVNZ that the area was "massively tinder dry" and it had been an "awful spectacle to see [the fire] spread". </s> WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A bush fire on New Zealand’s South Island spread through thousands of hectares, destroying property and forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes, officials said on Wednesday.

The fire that started at Pegion Valley in Nelson on Tuesday doubled overnight to spread over 1,870 hectares within a perimeter of 20 kilometers, the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management Office said in a statement.

More than 100 homes have been evacuated or self-evacuated, the statement said, and people were being sheltered at civil defense centers. Authorities declared a civil defense emergency in the Nelson-Tasman region.

Several homes have been burned down although there have been no reports of casualties or injuries so far. Strong winds have been fanning the flames and firefighters struggled to reach affected forest areas.

Officials said 12 fire crews worked overnight to control the fire, and 10 helicopters and two planes were being used on Wednesday to control the blaze. It could take up to four days to extinguish the fire, firefighters said. </s> WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A bush fire on New Zealand's South Island spread through thousands of hectares, destroying property and forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes, officials said on Wednesday.

The fire that started at Pegion Valley in Nelson on Tuesday doubled overnight to spread over 1,870 hectares within a perimeter of 20 kilometres, the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management Office said in a statement.

More than 100 homes have been evacuated or self-evacuated, the statement said, and people were being sheltered at civil defence centres. Authorities declared a civil defence emergency in the Nelson-Tasman region.

Several homes have been burned down although there have been no reports of casualties or injuries so far. Strong winds have been fanning the flames and firefighters struggled to reach affected forest areas.

Officials said 12 fire crews worked overnight to control the fire, and 10 helicopters and two planes were being used on Wednesday to control the blaze. It could take up to four days to extinguish the fire, firefighters said.

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Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> Wildfires on the edge of New Zealand's second-largest city have destroyed 11 houses and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

John Mackie, the civil defence controller for Christchurch, said about 130 firefighters on the ground assisted by more than a dozen helicopters had stopped the blaze from encroaching further into the city.

He said the plan was to let it burn itself out, and that a forecast of rain over the weekend would help. He said the fire was spread over about 5,000 acres in Christchurch's Port Hills.

The cause of the fire remained unknown and was being investigated, he said.

A helicopter pilot who was a decorated soldier died in a crash while fighting the blaze earlier this week.

Corporal David Steven Askin had won one of the country's top awards for bravery for his actions in Afghanistan.

He was a member of the elite Special Air Service and his identity was kept secret when he won the Gallantry Star medal in 2014.

He was cited for efforts that included helping save guests during the 2011 siege of the luxury Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul that left at least 20 people dead.

Christchurch City and adjacent Selwyn District declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said changing winds had made the fire unpredictable.

He said the region had been unusually dry for three years and the grass in the hills had turned brown over the Southern Hemisphere summer.

Police ordered the evacuation of about 400 homes while many other people living nearby were choosing to leave. Mr Broughton said displaced residents were staying at evacuation centres or with relatives.

Phil Claude told Radio New Zealand he and his family ran down a grass track to escape the fire, which destroyed their home.

"I could see that the smoke and the flames were being blown right up toward our house," he said. "And I just yelled: 'Get out. Get out!'"

A new mountain bike park, the Christchurch Adventure Park, was threatened by the fire.

New Zealand's military was providing water tankers and engineering equipment as well as firefighters and other personnel. </s> A wildfire destroyed at least 11 homes and forced hundreds of terrified residents to evacuate in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, authorities said Thursday.

Civil defence officials declared a state of emergency in the South Island city late Wednesday as two blazes that had been smouldering for days merged into a single giant fire-front.

Christchurch City Council said more than 1,800 hectares (4,500 acres) of land had been torched in the Port Hills, an area of rugged and difficult to access terrain to the east of the city centre.

About 1,000 people had been evacuated and, with winds forecast to pick up and fan the flames, authorities warned residents to flee at the first sign of danger.

"We understand it's hard for people to leave their homes but the fire can change direction and move incredibly quickly," senior sergeant Ash Tabb said.

"If you're worried, don't leave it too late -- it's better to be safe than sorry."

With a thick pall of smoke hanging over Christchurch, residents with respiratory ailments were advised to stay indoors.

Wildfires of such ferocity are rare in New Zealand, where regular rainfall usually prevents them reaching the intensity seen in places like Australia and the US west coast.

The emergency has so far claimed one life, when a helicopter that was dumping water on the flames crashed Tuesday and killed pilot Steve Askin, a decorated special forces veteran.

Civil Defence said it had confirmed 11 homes had been razed but added the situation was constantly changing.

It said 14 helicopters and three planes were helping battle the blaze, the maximum number of aircraft that could safely operate around the fire-front at one time.

Some 200 firefighters were operating about 45 pumps and tankers on the ground, with police and the military also providing additional personnel to the emergency response.

Civil defence said weather conditions were forecast to ease on Friday, slowing the fire's progress. </s> Firefighters in New Zealand's second-largest city were able to halt a wildfire's advance on suburban homes Thursday after it burned down 11 houses in the hill suburbs and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

John Mackie, the civil defense controller for Christchurch, said about 130 firefighters on the ground assisted by more than a dozen helicopters had stopped the fire from encroaching further into the city.

He said the plan was to let it burn itself out, and that a forecast of rain over the weekend would help. He said the fire was spread over about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) in Christchurch's Port Hills. </s> Hundreds of people in the New Zealand city of Christchurch have been evacuated from their homes as bushfires threaten some suburbs.

At least one home was burned down in the Port Hills, just a few kilometres south of Christchurch's city centre.

The mayors of Christchurch City and the adjacent Selwyn District declared a state of emergency. Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said changing winds made the fires unpredictable.

He said the region had been unusually dry for the past three years and the grass in the hills had turned brown over the summer.

Smoke and ash from the fire has been blown across Christchurch, New Zealand's second-largest city.

Mr Broughton said displaced residents were staying at evacuation centres or with relatives.

"They need to look after one another, and make sure they have a place to go to tonight," he said.

Phil Claude told Radio New Zealand he and his family ran down a grass track to escape the fire, which destroyed their home.

"I could see that the smoke and the flames were being blown right up toward our house and I just yelled 'get out, get out!'," he said.

He said he had been told his house "was apparently singed" but found it burned to the ground when he returned.

New Zealand's military has been deployed to provide water tankers and engineering equipment as well as firefighters and other personnel.

A helicopter pilot died in a crash on Tuesday while fighting the blaze.

The military revealed the pilot, Corporal David Steven Askin, had won one of the country's top awards for bravery, for his efforts in Afghanistan.

A member of the elite Special Air Service, Corporal Askin's identity was kept secret at the time he won the Gallantry Star medal in 2014.

He was cited for efforts that included helping save guests during the 2011 siege of the luxury Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul that left at least 20 people dead.

"Corporal Askin was wounded by grenade and rifle fire, yet carried on his mission and rescued guests from the hotel as fire broke out," the Defence Force said in a statement. </s> WELLINGTON: More than 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes and a state of emergency was declared in New Zealand's third largest city of Christchurch on Thursday (Feb 16) after a wildfire threatens homes.

The fire in the Port Hills district of the city began earlier this week but spread rapidly overnight to cover more than 1,800 hectares, emergency workers said.

Prime Minister Bill English cancelled all his engagements to set off for Christchurch to monitor developments.

"The situation remains very serious," said David Adamson, Christchurch Civil Defence Controller. "Police and the Defence Force have had a huge job overnight with evacuations, the setting-up of cordons around key areas and security patrols of areas that have been evacuated."

Fifteen helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, the maximum number that can safely be in the air at any one time, have been despatched amid forecasts for winds that could fan the flames.

A change in the wind direction is predicted for later in the week that will lower temperatures and humidity and could slow the fire's progress, emergency workers said.

A helicopter pilot died on Tuesday after crashing while tackling the blaze.
Several homes have been damaged in an uncontrolled bushfire near the New Zealand city of Nelson.