Civil Defence in Dunedin says up to 50 hectares of forest have been burnt in a fire near the city.
The civil defence and rural fires manager, Neil Brown, says eight helicopters and 15 fire crews are at the Mt Allan fire, which started on Thursday evening.
He says the fire is under control, but crews are experiencing difficult weather, with some wind gusts reaching up to 57 kilometres an hour.
Mr Brown says the cause of the fire is suspicious.
