A large fire is burning 30 minutes north of Christchurch on Thursday morning, covering 30 to 40 hectares of land.
At least 60 firefighters are working to put out the blaze in Hurunui, and heavy machinery is being brought in to assist.
"Fire and Emergency was alerted to a hedge fire in the Masons Flat area of the Hurunui District at around 12:50am this morning," a spokesperson said.
Upon arrival, attending crews then called for back-up firefighters.
"Around 60 firefighters and personnel from brigades across North Canterbury are currently in attendance - with more than 15 fire trucks and tankers on site."
Crews have been protecting structures in the area but it is unclear if any property has been damaged.
The fire is contained, but remains active, with one FENZ spokesperson telling Newshub they are "fairly happy" with the state of the fire ground.
