This concludes today's coverage of the Port Hills fire. Please check nzherald.co.nz for tomorrow's live blog and further updates on this and other topics.

Helicopters have finished aerial firefighting for the night, but 23 crews of firefighters will continue to work on the Port Hills fire overnight.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Stephen Butler says the crews will be carrying on with structure protection, and will also be working to strengthen the containment lines around the fire.

A shift in the wind is forecast overnight, so residents may notice more smoke, or smoke may be more noticeable in areas that have not been affected today.

Earlier tonight, Commander Dave Stackhouse confirmed that a home on the Port Hills appeared to have been destroyed by the fire. The loss was not immediately apparent due to the nature of the dwelling’s construction. 

Fire and Emergency will be working with Civil Defence to provide support to the resident.

The location of some cordons was shifted today to allow a number of evacuated residents to move back home to areas where it has been assessed as safe. The residents know that they may need to leave again at short notice if conditions on the ground change.

Fire and Emergency said it is continuing to work with Police to provide managed access for other evacuated residents who are unable to move back home yet. 

Fire and Emergency Commander Dave Stackhouse has confirmed that a dwelling appears to have been destroyed by fire on the Port Hills.

The loss was not immediately apparent due to the nature of the home.

Stackhouse says: "We will be contacting the resident and working with Civil Defence to offer support."

From our reporter Sam Sherwood at the Port Hills community hub:

Residents are arriving at the community hub at the corner of Worsleys Rd and McVicar Rd to be taken to their homes to pick up essential belongings.

One man had arrived to collect his son's Kunekune pigs.

Another resident, Tabatha, who along with her partner lives with a couple on Worsleys Rd told the Herald what the conditions are like behind the cordon.

Several helicopters could be seen flying across the area with water.

One side of the hill was fine, whereas the top of the hill was still burning.

"Nobody is there. It's just like the fire people are driving us to go get stuff like medicines and clothes and things."

She said it was unclear when they could return home.

"They said maybe not today or tomorrow. So I feel like it's going to be a couple more nights."

Newstalk ZB reporter Claire Sherwood says the wind has very noticeably picked up in Christchurch in the last few minutes.

From our photographer George Heard:

Fire and Emergency has just provided their latest update:

 Cordons are being shifted from Hoon Hay Valley Rd and Early Valley Rd to the last house on the road.

All residents of these roads can now return.

Residents of Worsley Rd who need urgent access to retrieve items from their homes will need to go to the community hub at the corner of Worsley Rd and McVicar Rd before nightfall.

"We cannot grant access after dark."

That's the end of the media update.

A quick recap:

• The fire is still not considered to be contained and is going to be a "long-duration event".
• No update on the cause of the fire at this time. Fire and Emergency NZ will take some time to ascertain the point the fire started and then investigators will work from there to find further answers.
• No houses have been lost, and no houses were under threat.
• Commanders on the scene were comfortable the fire was not spreading too quickly and the situation was constantly being assessed.
• Fire and Emergency would not rule out further evacuations if further people were at risk.
  
• Civil Defence said while the smoke may look like it is "diminishing" there was no room for complacency: "Please don't think it's over".
• Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell praised the response to the fire as "world class". He had "huge admiration" for the first responders working hard to contain the fire.

Fire and Emergency NZ region manager Brad Mosby said it will take some time to ascertain the point the fire started and then investigators will work from there to find further answers.

He said the burn area was "significant".

"Even if we brought the fire under control today it would take many more days for...mop up. we won't be leaving the site until we are absolutely sure this fire is out," Mosby said.

Firefighters are working 12-hour shifts but are being rotated out for breaks and food.

Mosby said all are locals at the moment - and they are "taking ownership" of the fire and working hard in "really challenging" conditions.

More resources will be brought in tomorrow to support the teams.

Mosby said the fire currently is spreading east, but that could change later when the southerly comes.

A wind change could bring smoke towards the city. If that happens, the community would be warned to be cautious of the drift.

Commanders on the scene are comfortable that the fire is not spreading too quickly.

Mosby said the situation was constantly being assessed and would not rule out further evacuations if further people were at risk.

"There's always the risk" the fire could spread as it did overnight, but crews were working extremely hard to make sure that no houses were damaged.

"We're 24 hours into this event now and for our fire crews to be protecting those people's properties and still not losing a home, due credit for those efforts," Mosby said.

Fire behaviour experts were "working around the clock" to tell emergency crews what was coming in terms of weather.

That information helped the crews work out what resources were needed and where.