A fire at Taylors Mistake on the edge of the Port Hills overnight is being treated as suspicious.

The fire was reported at 12.25am, with crews from Sumner, Christchurch, Lyttelton, and Woolston attending.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has urged anyone with information about the incident to contact Police, and is asking residents on the access road with CCTV cameras to review their footage from between 11pm and 1am.

Fire and Emergency Specialist Fire Investigator Bruce Irvine said the blaze put the lives of campers at nearby Godley Head at risk.

He said evacuations were narrowly avoided thanks to the swift work of firefighters.

“There is only one access road to Taylors Mistake, so if anyone in the area saw vehicle movements or has any footage around the time of the fire, we would ask them to contact Police on 105, the non-emergency phone number,” Irvine said.

Irvine said Fire and Emergency’s Canterbury Risk Reduction team would meet with the Department of Conservation this week to discuss strategies to mitigate fire risks on conservation land in the area.

Extremely dry conditions persist across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, raising concerns about further fire hazards.