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

Fire and Emergency NZ is asking anyone with information about the fire to contact Police, and residents on the access road who have CCTV cameras to check their footage for the period between 11pm and 1am.

Fire and Emergency Specialist Fire Investigator Bruce Irvine says that the lives of campers at nearby Godley Head were put at risk by the fire. Evacuations were only averted 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."

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

Bruce Irvine says Fire and Emergency's Canterbury Risk Reduction team will be talking to the Department of Conservation this week about strategies to mitigate the fire risk on conservation land in the area, as conditions are extremely dry around Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

© Scoop Media