More than a dozen crews battle scrub fire in the center of Hawke's Bay

Nearly 20 firefighters from across the Hawke & # 39; s Bay region are fighting against a scrub fire south of Waipukurau.

Emergency services were called to the fire between Waipukurau and Porangahau just after 4pm on Sunday.

Fifteen fire engines fought at high wind speeds while trying to keep the fire under control, and two more crews were on their way from 7 pm, a fire service spokeswoman said.

The fire was off the road and the road remained open, the spokeswoman said.

The cause of the fire was not yet known.