Residents have been examining the scorched remnants of a park near Wānaka, where a fierce, fast-moving fire came within metres of homes on Saturday night.

The blaze in Albert Town prompted the evacuation of 22 people and has been described by locals as a sobering reminder of the region's wildfire risk.

Eight fire crews battled for two-and-a-half hours in windy conditions to bring it under control, before rain began to fall at about 10pm.

After witnessing the tall, wind-fanned flames tearing through the patch of kānuka, local resident Estelle said there was no doubt the community was lucky.

"Just the astounding thing was the speed with which it moved, because it was so gusty last night," she said.

"We were watching an orange silhouette up into the sky with all of the ducks and the birds as they were leaving. It was just the power, the raw energy and how quickly it moved."

Estelle, who was taking a walk through the burnt trees on Sunday morning, said it was sad to see the devastation to the local reserve, and all its resident bugs and insects.

"I'm just so thankful, as well, that for all of our local residents that actually it was back under control so quickly, so that devastation was limited," she said.

Terry Terry, whose home overlooked the flames, said a minor shift in the wind could have been a catastrophe.

Embers flew through the air and some of the trees exploded from the force of the fire, he said.

"If it had been blowing from the south, we could have been in jeopardy... there were a lot of people quite terrified," he said.

The blaze was a warning of the region's wildfire risk, particularly given the number of homes surrounded by dry shrubbery, he said.

Lagoon Avenue resident Mario said, when he was alerted to the fire by a barrage of sirens, the 2020 Lake Ōhau fire came to mind and he feared the worst.

"The whole thing seemed to move so bloody quick... and we're all surrounded by shrubbery everwhere," he said.

Residents praised the quick response of emergency services, which travelled from as far as Tarras and Cromwell.

Earlier, Fire and Emergency assistant district ommander Nic McQuillan said the incident highlighted the danger of dry, windy weather, even during winter months.

He urged the public to ensure fireplace ashes were completely cold before disposal and to always check safety conditions, before lighting any outdoor fires.