Rain should arrive to help fight Christchurch fires

Showers and some rainfall is expected to fall on Christchurch on Friday afternoon after a northeasterly bringing clouds makes its way to the east coast of New Zealand.

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray says a high pressure system sitting over the Chatham Islands is expected to push a northeasterly flow onto the east coast before a light southerly appears on Sunday.

MetService posted a tweet on Wednesday morning showing smoke clouds from the Port Hills fire from their satellite.

MetService also have an automatic observation station on the Sugarloaf mountain on the Port Hills which is showing no sign of damage.

More than 100 residents evacuated

Selwyn District Civil Defence says 107 residents were evacuated from the Governor's Bay area due to the fire risk.

Increased fire activity around midnight last night prompted the mass evacuattion at 3am on Wednesday morning.

A emergency operations centre has been set up at Governors Bay school to house those that may have been displaced.

Fire breaches Christchurch Adventure Park

Concerns are still mounting around the Christchurch Adventure Park as the fire breaches the boundary of the park.

Spokeswoman Anne Newman says she can confirm there is fire at the top of the mountain bike park.

"The fire is actually taking place up by our top station and along our lifts," she says.

"We're running the lifts so no part of the cable over heats. That transfers the heat over the cables [evenly.]"

A rider at the top of the Adventure Park in December 2016 (Newshub)
A rider at the top of the Adventure Park in December 2016 (Newshub)

Exhausted Port Hills firefighters battle exhaustion, strong winds

Fires in Christchurch's Port Hills that had largely been contained on Tuesday have become much worse overnight.

The Fire Service says the spreading fire is usually the kind of thing seen in Australia's wildfires, not in New Zealand.

A wind change around midnight pushed the Summit Rd/Marley Hill fire to spread down the face of the hill toward local landmark, the Sign of the Kiwi.

The quick-moving blaze forced the evacuation of homes around Governors Bay. 

A dozen tankers were called in to keep the fire contained until helicopters could return at first light on Wednesday morning. The tankers have been called in from as far away as Rangiora.

Emergency services say they are very tired and stretched, and are asking the public to check on each other and look after neighbours.

There have also been a number of suspicious fires lit in the New Brighton area that police are investigating. 

People should get number plates, take photos and report anything if they see suspicious activity, police say.

Police are also asking that people call fire, police or the council for information if they are concerned, as a lot of false information is circulating in comments on Facebook group pages.

Newshub.