Picton resident Graeme Smith was in Dunedin to present an award to pharmacy students for the graduation celebrations over the weekend.
He heard about the fire through social media while he was on his way to the airport, but forgot about it until his flight was taxiing down the runway on its way to Wellington and he saw a huge "mushroom cloud" of smoke between Allanton and Brighton on Saturday.
He was in a window seat and took several pictures of the fire with his cellphone while airborne.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said it received a 111 call about 10.10am reporting smoke on a hillside in the vicinity of Bush Reserve Rd.
Eight crews were initially dispatched from Mosgiel, Brighton, Lookout Point, Waihola and Wakari. All but one were recalled before reaching the fire.
The Mosgiel crew continued to the site but was there for less than five minutes and confirmed it was a controlled burn.
No action was required by crews, the spokeswoman said.
