Emergency services at the scene of the fire. Photo: Fiona Roding
Fire and Emergency says the scrub fire in the Whakamārama area in Bay of Plenty has now been extinguished.
The fire at Te Puna Stream Bridge earlier caused siginificant delays along State Highway two.
The transport agency says it may take some time for traffic to return to normal.
Police have said there were reports of the fire near Te Puna stream received shortly before 2pm.
State Highway 2 and some nearby roads were blocked, and police urged people to delay any travel between Tauranga and Katikati.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand's northern shift manager Paul Radden, said crews from five fire stations were called to the scene in the Whakamārama area.
He said the fire was contained shortly before 5pm and two fire crews were still at Te Puna Stream monitoring the situation.
The transport agency said late afternoon that the delays at Te Puna Stream Bridge were expected to be significant, as traffic had been backing up there for several hours already.
Driving the normally short 20 kilometres between Omokoroa and Tauranga could take up to two hours, and it also called on drivers to avoid the area.
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