Forest wildfire destroys homes:

A bush fire on New Zealand’s South Island spread through thousands of hectares, destroying property and forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes, officials said on Wednesday.

The fire that started at Pegion Valley in Nelson on Tuesday doubled overnight to spread over 1,870 hectares within a perimeter of 20 kilometres, the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management Office said in a statement. More than 100 homes have been evacuated or self-evacuated, the statement said, and people were being sheltered at civil defence centres. Authorities declared a civil defence emergency in the NelsonTasman region. (AP)