One person checked for smoke inhalation after house bus goes up in flames in the Lindis Pass

Firefighters battled for about an hour to extinguish the blaze. Photo / Supplied

A house bus was destroyed after erupting into flames in the Lindis Pass this afternoon.

Christchurch motorist Chris Sexton was travelling on State Highway 8 in the Lindis Pass when he saw smoke billowing into the sky from several kilometers away.

By the time he arrived at the source of the smoke the house bus was well involved with flames coming out the back of it.

Only the shell of the bus was left after the flames were put out, said Southern Communications Centre shift manager Andrew Norris. Photo / Supplied

The 25-year-old was told by someone at the scene that the driver had pulled the bus over but the handbrake may have been left off and it had rolled into the ditch.

Fire and Emergency services responded to a call for help at about 3.30.

Southern Communications Centre shift manager Andrew Norris said four crews extinguished the fire and one person was checked for smoke inhalation.

Sexton said there wasn't much left of the bus once the flames were out.

"It's completely gone, it was just a shell that was left."

He said the road was closed and motorists waited for about an hour while firefighters dealt with the blaze.