A Wellington man has received severe facial burns after a hydraulic hose burst on the digger he was driving.
The resulting explosion sparked a large forest fire on the capital's south coast.
It took two choppers attacking from the air to bring the pine forest fire near Kingston under control.
On the ground, at least 10 fire trucks offered support to the aerial assault.
The blaze on Happy Valley Rd was on the property of Carlucci Land -- a well-known Wellington landmark owned by former mayoral candidate Carl Gifford.
The Fire Service was called to the land to reports of a digger on fire just before 5pm.
Firefighters who were first on the scene found the digger driver and administered first aid, before he was transported to Wellington Hospital.
When they got to the scene above Carlucci Land on Happy Valley Rd, they found the fire had spread, but is now under control.
Central fire communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said the fire took hold near an old council-owned rubbish dump close to Happy Valley Rd.
It's an isolated area and no homes or properties are under threat at this stage, he said.
Rough terrain meant getting water to the fire was a challenge and the Fire Service says it could take up to two days to fully extinguish the blaze.
Calucci Land is a mini golf, paintball and sculture park.
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