Strong winds hampering firefighters at large Wānaka blaze

A large fire that forced evacuations in Wānaka has been brought under control, but strong winds and steep terrain are making it difficult for firefighters to reach the remaining flames.

About 22 homes were evacuated in Wānaka's Albert Town on Saturday night, as the huge flames burned close to residential streets.

Fire and Emergency NZ said they were alerted to the vegetation fire in an area made up of gullies and steep hills, just before 7:30pm on Saturday, and had been attacking it from "multiple points".

In a briefing after 10pm on Saturday, Fire and Emergency District Assistant Commander Nic McQuillan said the fire was in about one kilometre of trees and scrub "alongside houses".

While it was now controlled, "firefighters are still dealing with hotspots, flare-ups and ember transfers," and firefighters would be at the scene working on it all night into Sunday, he said.

"No houses have caught fire, although initially it was thought seven to eight properties were threatened and Police evacuated 22 homes."

It was not known what caused the fire, or when people who were evacuated would be able to return home, he said. But a reporter at the scene said there were signs some people may have been allowed home shortly after that briefing.

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with information or imagesFire crews from right across central Otago, including Hawea, Tarras and Cromwell, had responded to the blaze, along with three support vehicles.

Fire trucks could be seen in various streets around the Lagoon Avenue area, just minutes from central Wānaka and the Clutha River.

"We can contain the fire, but we are having to reposition to reach each spot ... But we are dealing with it," McQuillan told RNZ earlier in the night.

Del Tubb said the fire had come right up against his woodshed, near the back of his property:

"We were watching telly and there was a huge roar, which I thought was wind and thought - my God that's strong. Then [his companion] looked out the window - and it was like a blazing inferno."

"It was right across the garden - everything was bright red and it was embers. It was pretty scary stuff at that time, and you don't know what to do, you think 'shall I get out, shall I get my stuff out, move the cars' - all those things. It's really serious, you know."

Tubb said they quickly put on warm gloves and beanies before going out into the cold night, and he was able to move two cars away from the fire area.

Michael Frankton, who uses a wheelchair, said it was a terrifying sight: "I looked out the window and I could see a raging fire heading towards our house, up the bank in the kānuka".

Sarah Dawson said neighbours acted quickly: "It just went up like these enormous, raging, high flames, just roaring towards us. It was absolutely terrifying," she said.

"All the neighbours rushed out and people were knocking on each other's doors and checking. People looked after Michael and gave him blankets."

Images posted online showed huge flames rising into the night near houses.

Police were at the scene carrying out evacuations and controlling traffic. A cordon on the corner of Hunt-Lagoon-Sherwin was lifted earlier in the night.

Rain had been minimal this week, residents told RNZ, but by 10:30pm it was raining heavily.