A scrub fire near Ōamaru’s South Hill yesterday took more than five hours to extinguish.

The fire came close to Test St homes which were evacuated, along with residents from Harbour View Resthome, but there was no damage caused to the buildings.

An investigation into what caused the fire on the hillside between Waterfront Road and Test Street is expected to be carried out today.

Fire and Emergency services were called to the fire at about 2.45pm on Sunday (November 19), which grew to about 100m by 100m at its peak, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said.

Two firetrucks, four tankers and one helicopter fought the blaze, and the last truck left the scene at 8.38pm.