Bruce Hobbs lost his pet budgies and prized motorcycles in the massive Christchurch blaze.

Several homes have been damaged and 20 hectares of rural land razed by an enormous scrub fire in west Christchurch.

One home was destroyed, and two severely damaged by the blaze which was fuelled by dry conditions and severe gales.

At its worst, the fire ran about 1.2km across from north to south, prompting the evacuation of about 100 homes and some schools.

1 of 27 Iain McGregor Homes are being evacuated as the Fire Service battle the large scrub fire. 2 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 3 of 27 Iain McGregor A large scrub fire has broken out on Pound Rd, in west Christchurch. 4 of 27 Stacy Squires DESTROYED: Julie McLauchlan beside the van used for her Just Gud Grub business. 5 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 6 of 27 Iain McGregor/ Fairfax NZ The wreckage of a car lies next to the smouldering remains of one house. 7 of 27 Stacy Squires CLEAN-UP: Contractors begin clearing the damage. 8 of 27 Stacy Squires MORNING AFTER: Chris Rogers inspects the damage to his property this morning. 9 of 27 Stacy Squires WRECKED: The Islington fire ripped through properties. 10 of 27 Stacy Squires DESTROYED: Trees and a car were burnt out. 11 of 27 Stacy Squires WASTELAND: Morning after Wednesday's devastating Islington fire. 12 of 27 Iain McGregor/ Fairfax NZ The charred remains of a house that burnt in the scrub fire. 13 of 27 Supplied A huge cloud of smoke rises above the fire. 14 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 15 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 16 of 27 Jo Gillespie Traffic at the Pound Road intersection with a helicopter hovering overhead. 17 of 27 Iain McGregor Large fire causing Roberts St to be evacuated as more homes are under threat. 18 of 27 Matt Lee Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 19 of 27 Supplied Scorched grass is left after the fire burned through properties. 20 of 27 Iain McGregor A house in Hei Hei burns as the fire continues to spread. 21 of 27 Iain McGregor Bruce Hobbs gets help from a police office to remove one of his damaged motorbikes from his burnt property. 22 of 27 Iain McGregor/ Fairfax NZ Bruce Hobbs, centre, steps through the charred remains of his house. 23 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 24 of 27 Iain McGregor Many residents have been evacuated from the area as a large scrub fire continues to spread. 25 of 27 Iain McGregor A fire crew battles the raging fire as west Christchurch is blanketed in thick smoke. 26 of 27 Iain McGregor School children walk home through heavy smoke. 27 of 27 Iain McGregor A large scrub fire has broken out on Pound Rd, in west Christchurch.

Residents described the scene as "like a big fireball", and hearing an explosion from a power pylon, cutting power.

By 6pm fire region commander Dave Stackhouse said the blaze was under control but would be monitored overnight.

The gales which battered the region at speeds of 100kmh had now eased, he said.

ZAC MACKINTOSH / YouTube Large grass fire getting blown southwest between Roberts road and Buchanan's road towards Gilberthorpes road in southwest Christchurch. Houses threaten.

He said about 50 firefighters battled the blaze and had "worked hard to save a lot of properties".

"And there was no loss of life."

One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation.

Facebook A huge fire west of Christchurch is threatening houses and has cut power in a large area

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Shane White, father of two, fled his Roberts Rd home as his fence caught fire.

Matt Lee/Facebook Christchurch fire before being evacuated, footage from Matt Lee

"It was like a big fireball."

He heard a bang before the fire started.

"Our power went out and then all of a sudden the fire started... I'm just hoping my house is OK."

A cordon at the corner of Pound and Roberts roads had blocked residents from entering, but it had now been lifted.

People are returning to Roberts Rd to see if their homes are still standing.

Aaron Lewis, who lives on Roberts Rd near the blaze, described the scene earlier.

"The power had gone out. My mate Lucas said there was smoke coming in the window. Down the end of Roberts Rd there was just fire from everywhere.

"The fire took hold from there. There was people trying to put it out with their feet. All of a sudden a small gust of wind and it just came straight for us.

"To hear the crackling of a fire to start and take a house.... it was horrific."

Have you seen the fire? Send your photos to newstips@stuff.co.nz

Roberts Rd resident Lani Smith, 22 said she was unsure if her home had survived the fire.

"We just smelled smoke and all of a sudden it started going really thick and deep. People started screaming."

Smith said she and many neighbours evacuated their homes quickly before fire crews arrived.

The smoke was so thick that "you couldn't even see in front of your face".

"By that stage everyone was just scrambling. There was no fire engines or nothing."

Sinitta Price, 26, was told to leave her Roberts Rd home at about 3pm. She quickly gathered some belongings before putting her mother, daughter and kitten in the car and fleeing.

Price said her neighbour's house had been "completely engulfed" by flames.

The blaze broke out near Pound Rd, between Islington and Hei Hei about 2:30pm. Ground fire crews and choppers carrying monsoon buckets worked to control it.

Many residents left their properties in Matangi St and Kaniere Ave during the fire, while cordons blocked Buchanans Rd, Roberts Rd, Pound Rd and Gilberthorpes Rd.

Schools were advised to commence their own emergency procedures.

Hornby high School principal Richard Edmundson said the school was not evacuated, instead pupils were sent home early due to Wednesday typically being a Canterbury schools sports day.

"But we have to be careful which way the kids were going. The fire is in a residential area and some of our families are affected by this."



The fire was about 1km from the school, he said,

Press photographer Iain McGregor said earlier he was near Hei Hei and had been stopped by a cordon set up by authorities.

"It's an enormous fire.

"I can see houses that have been burned and people in tears," he said.

McGregor believed the spark had been caused by a fallen powerline in the area but this has yet to be confirmed.

He said he heard an explosion, possibly from a power pylon. Orion's website is showing power outages in Halswell, Lincoln, Tai Tapu, Yaldhurst and surrounding areas.

At least 100 cars were parked on Roberts Rd – a mix of rubberneckers and affected residents.

Some people at the scene are visibly upset and are being comforted by police officers.

POWER OUTAGES

Orion said the high winds caused trees to fall and large branches to break, resulting in more than 30 power outages across Canterbury.

About 5000 customers were affected in total.

Chief executive Rob Jamieson said the Islington fire was a timely reminder of the need to prune or remove trees that can affect overhead lines in high winds.

"We are continually urging landowners to maintain trees that are near power lines to avoid power outages," Jamieson said.

"That message is doubly important in these tinder dry conditions when tree damage can cause fires."

He said people needed to assume all fallen lines were live.

Orion had taken steps to minimise the risk of fires being sparked by electrical equipment.

"Several weeks ago as the region was drying out we changed our operating practices because of the heightened fire risk. Usually a piece of equipment called a recloser automatically restores power to an overhead line after a power cut.

"Automatic reclosers are a great means of restoring power quickly but every time they try to reinstate the power they can create a spark," Jamieson said.

Orion had shut down all automatic reclosers on its rural network and would manually check overhead lines to find the cause of any power cuts while the fire danger remains high.

"Unfortunately this means it will take longer to get the power back on, but we can't take the risk of starting a fire in the current conditions."

DUST STORMS BATTER CITY

Vegetation fires and dust storms have kept Canterbury fire crews busy today as winds of up to 125kmh batter the region.

Fire Service shift manager Brent Dunn said crews attended numerous vegetation fires throughout the Selwyn district earlier today, some sparked by fallen power lines.

The Waimakariri district also experienced some small vegetation fires.

MetService duty forecaster Sarah Garlick said wind gusts up to 110 kilometres an hour had been recorded in Porters Pass in western inland Canterbury, while the peak of Banks Peninsula had been rattled by 125 kmph winds.

Social media users have reported dust storms and the smell of smoke today.

Christchurch man Jim Noble said he was working at a subdivision in Rolleston and ended up "looking like a coalminer" because of the flying dust and debris.