A lightning strike has sparked a fire that ripped through a tree on a residential property on Thursday.
A thunder storm made its way over Christchurch in the mid-afternoon, bringing with it showers, thunder and lightning.
Emergency services were called out to a property on Florida St in Hornby when the tree caught fire.
A piece of fence caught in the fire (Newshub)
The fire tore through the tree and spread to a nearby garage and fence.
"We got a report of lightning strike hitting a tree and that set the tree on fire, which started to burn alongside a garage," senior station officer Shane Cole says.
The chard remains of a fence (Newshub)
"But we've managed to extinguish that before it did any damage to the garage apart from superficial burning on the bargeboard.
Mr Cole says the quick thinking of the neighbours enabled them to respond quickly.
"The neighbours spotted it burning so that meant we had a quick response," he says.
Newshub.
