Everything We Know So Far About the Christchurch Wildfires Burning Out of Control

(image Mark Hannah, via Facebook)

More than eight homes have been destroyed, 450 homes evacuated, and one person has died as the fires in Christchurch continue to burn out of control. Here's what we know so far.

Christchurch is in a state of emergency, with fires burning through 1850 hectares of land. The flames threaten a number of homes in the city where some residents are still repairing houses following the earthquakes of 2011.

Christchurch City Council said in an update this morning that more than 450 properties have been officially evacuated. They told rubberneckers to stay away.

"The police are stressing that it is imperative that members of the public keep away from the hills. People "rubber-necking" are disrupting the emergency response and making it harder for police and fire services to do their jobs."

In a statement today, NZ police said they were still evacuating people from their properties.  "The priority is keeping people safe," Senior Sergeant Tabb said. "We understand it's hard for people to leave their homes but the fire can change direction and move incredibly quickly. If you're worried, don't leave it too late—it's better to be safe than sorry."

Speaking to RNZ this morning, civil defence spokesman Richard Macnamara said fire-fighters had established good containment of the fire at the moment - but said if it blows out they would have to drop back and go back into full property and life protection.

The only fatality so far has been David Steven Askin who died fighting the fire, when the helicopter he was in crashed. Askin was an ex-SAS member, who was previously injured in a fight with Taliban in Afghanistan.

Civil Emergency has been declared a state of emergency in Selwyn and Christchurch.