Christchurch fire

Police say the fire north of Christchurch that forced more than 100 people to evacuate overnight was caused by young people using fireworks.

Fire and Emergency said the 130 residents of a holiday park at Woodend, which was evacuated overnight, would be able to return home this evening. Police investigating the fire last night at Pegasus Bay said they spoke to two young people in relation to the incident. Police say the fire north of Christchurch that forced more than 100 people to evacuate overnight was caused by young people using fireworks.

Tina Archbold woke to the smell of smoke in her caravan, then saw "a huge fireball...right there" as the fire, which was started by fireworks, closed in.

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All hands on deck . . . Helicopters with monsoon buckets are fighting the large fire. FENZ fire engines and water tankers at the Pegasus Beach assembly area ...

Strong northwesterly winds contributed to the speed of the fire as it headed south. FENZ Incident Controller Colin Russell said winds had dropped in the last couple of hours, and crews had worked hard on the western flank of the fire to contain it overnight. Four helicopters and fresh crews mustered at first light, and were working to a plan to contain the fire and bring it under control.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand are trying to contain the flames at Pegasus Beach as high winds are helping the blaze quickly move south.

"They were all in individual paddocks, so it was going out, getting them into the barn and finding enough floats for them to get carted away. "To the best of our knowledge we have not lost any homes or property but it’s hard to get a complete picture during the night. It's been crazy but things are starting to settle down now." A community meeting was held with the residents this morning. We can't actually establish what they've done at this stage [but] they are of interest to us and our investigation will continue through the day. "We have some indications from members of the public that there were people around that area that may be of interest to us.

Tina Archbold, who was staying at Woodend Beach Holiday Park, describes her horror after waking up to smoke in her caravan and fireballs outside.

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The now 184-hectare fire spans about 5.5km's along the coast north of the Waimakariri River.

Anyone experiencing health issues from the Woodend fire should phone their usual general practice team in the first instance. Fire and Emergency New Zealand said this afternoon they will be allowed to return home this evening as of 5pm. The now 184-hectare fire spans about 5.5km's along the coast north of the Waimakariri River.