A police investigation is underway into what started the massive scrub fire at Porters Pass at the weekend
A burned out truck was discovered down one of the steep slopes, as firefighters remained at the scene on Monday.
The Nissan Mistral is part of a massive police investigation
The fire started at 4:30am on Sunday morning - just hours before police were called to the Darfield Postshop where the ATM was stolen.
A connection between the two events is now being investigated.
The vehicle had been stolen on Saturday night from a rural property nearby and pushed off the road down the steep slope, where the 200 hectare scrub fire is believed to have started.
"The fire came through really hard really [and] hot but there's nothing underneath burnt deep which makes our life a lot easier," deputy principal rural fire officer Dale Wilhelm told Newshub.
The money machine ripped from the wall was dumped a kilometre away on the outskirts of the Canterbury town of Darfield.
No money was taken, but locals were shaken by the early morning raid
"[It's] dreadful to think something like this is happening in the community," Darfield resident Bryan Berry told Newshub.
Darfield Post and KiwiBank owner Donna Hurndell said the small town didn't expect such an event.
"It could happen anywhere any time but this shouldn't happen to sleepy old Darfield," she said. "This is something that happens in the movies."
An appeal for any information on the stolen vehicle and both the ATM raid and the fire has been made by police, as the search for those involved continues.
Newshub.
