PHOTO: JULIE ASHER
Station Officer Derek Shaw said it appeared to have been sparked by a householder using a chainsaw.
Conditions around the area were much drier than people realised, he said.
There had been a few fires recently and people needed to be careful as vegetation was tinder dry.
Two appliances supported by the Dunstan Rural Fire Brigade attended the fire, which was close to neighbouring properties and perched on a rocky outcrop with a lot of vegetation on it. There was a northwest wind and low humidity on Thursday which increased the risk of the fire taking hold and spreading.
It was important to call the fire brigade at the first sign of a fire, he said.
