Investigators will this afternoon try to find out what started the massive scrub fire in Wellington which took 10 hours to control and forced the evacuation of 20 houses.
The fire charred 60 hectares of scrubland in the South Wellington suburb of Happy Valley and fire fighters have only just brought it under control.
A spokesperson for the rural fire service says the cause of the blaze in still unknown but it is unlikely it was caused naturally.
Three helicopters and around twenty ground crews spent the last ten hours fighting the fire which began at 2am on a ridgeline in Happy Valley.
They contained the fire at around 8am but it quickly flared up and threatened a number of nearby houses.
Concerned residents from all over the city – as far away as Southgate and across the harbour at Petone – called the blaze in to emergency services.
There have been no reports of injuries or damage to property.
3 News