Albert Town fire: 'There were a lot of people quite terrified'

Residents have been examining the scorched remnants of a park near Wānaka, where a fierce, fast-moving fire came within metres of homes on Saturday night. The blaze in Albert Town prompted the evacuation of 22 people and has been described by locals as a sobering reminder of the region's wildfire risk. Eight fire crews battled for two-and-a-half hours in windy conditions to bring it under control, before rain began to fall at about 10pm. The cause remains under investigation. Firefighters investigating cause of large Albert Town blaze After witnessing the tall, wind-fanned flames tearing through the patch of kānuka, local resident Estelle said there was no doubt the community was lucky. "Just the astounding thing was the speed with which it moved, because it was so gusty last night," she said.