Wildfires have been scorching Port Hills, south of Christchurch, New Zealand, for almost a week.

This timelapse video captures the development of the fires over a period of three days.

The blaze, which first broke out on February 13, has destroyed homes and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people, and a pilot died when his helicopter crashed during a fire extinguishing operation on Tuesday, The Telegraph reported. More than 130 firefighters and the military have gone into action to combat the flames.

A state of emergency was declared in the city and the neighbouring Selwyn District, BBC reported. Credit: Luke Hamilton via Storyful