Firefighters are battling a fire in a large pile of tree cuttings at Selwyn, west of Christchurch.
Crews were called to the scene off State Highway 73, between Springfield and Sheffield, just before 6am today.
A Fire Service spokesperson said part of a 100m long forestry slash area was on fire, containing debris and cuttings from forestry work.
The pile covers 2000 square metres and is about 20 metres high.
Earth-moving machinery was being used to break down the heap and stop the fire spreading.
