Dozens of homes near Wanaka were evacuated as a huge fire tore through nearby scrub early this morning.
Residents of the Mt Iron suburb, east of the town, scrambled with garden hoses to protect their properties but in the end none were damaged.
Resident and photographer Tim Pierce says he was woken by smoke from the fire and went to investigate houses closer to the fire.
"It turned out to be a pretty crazy morning ... people got off pretty lucky."
Fire safety officers are investigating the cause of the fire.
3 News
All photos are provided by freelance photographer and cameraman Tim Pierce.