Firefighters have slammed the ''idiots'' who threw fireworks from a vehicle, sparking a fire and a mass evacuation in Queenstown.
Three fire appliances were called to the Frankton Rd grass fire just after 11pm on Monday, after people were spotted throwing fireworks out of a moving car.
Queenstown senior station officer Dave Christie said the ''fire just took off, and it was lucky there was no wind''.
Police were also called to the scene, and used a loudhailer to evacuate residents of the nearby Greenstone Apartments.
''The fire got right up to their balconies.''
Mr Christie said people deliberately letting off fireworks in tinder dry conditions were ''just idiots. At this time of year even a discarded cigarette butt can cause damage, and could even claim a life.''
