Pegasus Beach fire contained as FENZ push remnants out to sea

Firefighters have been working hard to keep control of the large fire that broke out north of Christchurch following a fireworks mishap on Wednesday night.

Damage along the coast at Woodend Beach has been successfully contained to an area of 160 hectares and crews are focusing on strengthening the perimeter of the fire and pushing it towards the sea, Fire and Emergency incident controller Graeme Knight said.

"It is hard work, it is really, really hard work for the ground crews with their shovels and dragging hoses through burnt material," he said.

"Two fire crews will be monitoring the fire ground overnight...but the conditions are looking promising."

Fifty-five firefighters and one helicopter will keep working on Saturday and Knight expects the work that needs to be done will take another three to four days.

He said the coming days will be exhausting for the crews involved.

"We're making sure they're resting and drinking heaps of water," Knight said.

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Tūhaitara Coastal Park will remain closed until further notice, including access to the beach.

"Public safety remains our number one priority, so if you were thinking of visiting the park, please make alternative plans this weekend," Knight said.