The fire started shortly before noon, in a paddock at the corner of Camp Hill Rd and State Highway 6, between Wanaka and Lake Hawea, and was caused by a car which had been doing ''handbrake slides'' on a dirt track in the paddock.
Josh (17), a polytechnic student, who had only just moved from Christchurch into the property across the road from the fire, rushed over to assist after he and his mother noticed smoke and the smell of burning rubber.
Along with other neighbours and several passers-by, Mr Fluit tried to extinguish the flames using spades and wet towels.
The fire seemed to go from ''zero to a million'' very quickly, before the Fire Service arrived at the scene after a few minutes and brought it under control, Mr Fluit said.
Two Wanaka fire appliances and a Luggate tanker attended. Mr Fluit helped handle the Fire Service hoses, just as he had done as a young Scout during an emergency response skills session.
The flames burned an area about half the size of a football field and came within about 30m of a house on the property.
A tenant in the house, who had also just moved to Camp Hill Rd this week, and declined to be named, said when he came outside he saw a man trying to beat out the spreading flames with a blanket.
''At first I thought it was some kind of controlled burn going on, which was a bit naive.''
The tenant was ''really freaked'' by how rapidly the fire spread and said a garden hose he fetched proved ''useless'' against the fast-moving flames.
A race track in the paddock was sometimes used by vehicles including quad bikes, but usually only in damper conditions, when there was no fire risk, he said.
''In these conditions it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see there's a high risk.''
Detective Bryan Gillespie, of Wanaka, was in the area at the time of the fire and stopped to make inquiries.
''Essentially, a chap has been driving his vehicle in that paddock track, which is barren dirt, doing handbrake slides etc,'' Det Gillespie later told the Otago Daily Times.
''The manner of driving would be considered illegal on a public road, but certainly not on private land.''
The driver, who was known to the property owner and had permission to be there, had then gone across a grassed area where the heat from the underside of his vehicle sparked the fire.
''He's gone out on the main road, seen the smoke, and reacted immediately,'' Det Gillespie said.
''He's got a blanket, rung the Fire Service and I think everyone's very grateful that the Fire Service got there ... to prevent it spreading further.''
The incident served as a ''cautionary tale'' to motorists to be careful about where they parked their vehicles if they had been on a long drive.
''If they park over burnt-off grass, it could be sufficient to start a fire.''
Property owner Nick Jobling, who was not present at the time of the fire, declined to comment when contacted by the ODT.
Meanwhile, a soot-covered Mr Fluit was considering joining the Fire Service after his adrenaline-filled morning.
''It's impressive what they can do. They just got out here and got straight into it.''
He was also impressed by the public's response.
''It's a good welcome to the community. It was amazing to see how many people in the community came [in] their own time ... farmers and that, who came and helped.''
