Drone footage of the fire near the Farmhouse Lodge in Fernhill. Photo: SUPPLIED
Firefighters will patrol the scene of a large scrub fire which led to evacuations in rural Hastings overnight.
The Tuesday afternoon blaze was located between the Fernhill township and the Ngaruroro River Bridge on SH50.
It had destroyed multiple buildings, including two homes, left a person hospitalised and forced people living in and around the Farmhouse Lodge accommodation to evacuate.
Residents would have to stay elsewhere overnight with assistance from Civil Defence.
Fire and Emergency assistant commander Jason Hill said it had been too windy for helicopters, but multiple ground crews have been battling the blaze until dark.
He said it was contained but not under control, with multiple pockets of fire burning within the perimeter.
On Wednesday morning, Hill said crews would aim to bring the fire under control and an investigation into how it started would begin.
Have you been impacted by the fire? Send photos to iwitness@rnz.co.nz
Police said a section of SH50, Fernhill, had been closed and would remain closed overnight.
The public should avoid the area and take alternate routes or expect delays.
Farmhouse Lodge owner Dawson Bliss, said a tenant alerted him to the smoke billowing up the hill.
When Bliss went to investigate, it appeared an old bus was on fire on flat land near the Ngaruroro river.
"I rushed down there and got close to it and had extinguishers and so forth, but it was just too ablaze to try and get close enough," he said.
The fire brigade had been called by then and his wife checked all the rooms to ensure everyone was out safe.
Bliss said he put his drone up and saw little fires cropping up all over the hill, due to the wind carrying sparks.
The lodge has a main building and about 25 surrounding cabins, he said.
He was unsure of the extent of the damage to his property, given he, his wife and the tenants had been moved about a kilometre down the road.
Bliss did not know when they would be able to return.
He said he had put tracks on the hilly property to act as fire breaks.
"They did the job quite well," he said.
"The fire brigade threw plenty of iron at it ... they were doing their best."
Bliss said he was feeling okay, but "later on it might be worse, when we take stock of the situation."
His wife Novia was "very emotional over what's happened", Bliss said.
Meanwhile crews were also working on another scrub fire that's threatening houses near Havelock North, but it was contained at this stage.
A fire and emergency spokesperson said the fire was threatening houses in Havelock North, but there were no formal evacuations at this stage.
However, nearby residents had been told to evacuate if they felt unsafe.
Hastings mayor Wendy Schollum said her heartfelt sympathy went to everyone impacted.
"It's a really distressing time of year for our community to be facing something like this," she said.
Schollum said the blaze emphasised the importance of adhering to fire bans, with record high temperatures last month, compounded by high winds.
"While we had a little bit of rain more recently, it's not enough to make a meaningful difference," she said.
"That complete fire ban is something we need our community to take seriously, and that includes things like fireworks too ... if you've tucked some away from earlier in the year, please don't set them off."
Multiple fire restrictions are in place in Hawke's Bay, with crews warning of high fire danger levels.
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