Huge fire causes evacuation of homes south of Christchurch

People are being evacuated as a massive fire burns out of control south of Christchurch.

Ten people have been rescued in a "snap rescue" at the Shands Rd fire.

Fire fighters have just extracted ten people out of a property, said fire service centre manager Ian Lynn.

"They got in fast and got out fast" he said.

Four house have been engulfed and destroyed he said.

There are two fires blazing in the same area: one on Shands Rd and one on Selwyn Rd.

Stock are being moved as the fire sweeps in an area near Prebbleton and Lincoln.

Roads are blocked to stop traffic getting in.

Resident Amy Throsby, 20, was fearing the worst after she saw her home engulfed in black smoke.

About 10 fire trucks attended a blaze on Selwyn Rd about 3pm today.

Miss Throsby  believed the fire started in a quarry behind her property and spread to a neighbouring chicken farm.

"We live next to the chicken farm and I could see black smoke behind our property. It just went up from
there."

Miss Throsby said she grabbed her dog and fled in her car.

"The wind is not helping at all,'' she said.

Miss Throsby said she believed five houses are threatened by the blaze.

"The fire was out on the road on the grass front.''

Miss Throsby's mother, Bev Throsby, said: "It's so dry, it's all rural around here.''

Mrs Throsby had been trying to contact the owners of the chicken farm.

"They've just gone away on holiday today,'' she said. "We didn't manage to get their dog. We don't know where he is.''

Miss Throsby said police have evacuated people from the stretch of Selwyn Rd. She didn't how many people had been moved.

She said: "I was scared more because of the smoke and I didn't know what was going to happen.

"I even joked about Australia. I thought 'I hope it doesn't turn into Australia and spread'. Now look at it.''