Homes cleared as blaze rages

About a hundred Gisborne homes were evacuated last night after a major scrub fire threatened buildings.

The blaze, off Awapuni St in the central city, was reported just after 6pm. Nearly two hectares of scrub went up in flames, resulting in the evacuation of residents up to two blocks from the scene.

"It was a substantial fire and a significant number of properties were evacuated," Fire Service spokesman Dave Meikle said.

It took firefighters using 10 appliances and three helicopters two hours to bring the blaze under control.