A scrub fire burning in the Coromandel Peninsula has spread to more than 18 hectares

Fire and Emergency were called to the blaze at Kuaotunu just before 4 this afternoon.

A spokeswoman says two helicopters and seven fire engines are fighting it, as it burns through pine slash and re-growth.

A witness has told our newsroom he could see a huge amount of smoke in the hills between Kuaotunu and Otama Beach.