Firefighters are still dampening down hot spots after a lightning strike sparked a large blaze in Central Otago on Wednesday night.
Over 60 firefighters and 10 helicopters helped battle the fire burning over 280ha near Waipiata-Kokonga Road, south of Ranfurly.
Fourteen people were evacuated from nearby farmhouses, but fire crews managed to save a home in the path of the fire.
"The guys did a fantastic job to build a containment line around that property and save it from being destroyed," said incident controller Mike Harrison.
He told 1 NEWS the "strong winds were making life difficult".
The Otago Rail Trail between Hyde and Waipiata was also closed to keep people safe.
English tourist Andrew Kay who is cycling the route says he’d noticed that "everywhere is completely parched".
"It's quite scary actually .. that's probably the fourth fire lately," said local resident Kate Gregan.
Community radio station Burn 729AM has been encouraging people to donate food for the firefighters who have been called in from across the region.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is reminding people not to light fires because they can spread very rapidly in current extreme conditions.
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