A Christian early childhood centre in Christchurch escaped damage after a suspicious fire on the property last night.

Farmers and rural householders are being warned about starting fires after a "crazy" seven hours by South Island firefighters tackling small rural blazes today.

Two young women and two children escaped a blaze which destroyed a Napier house in less than half an hour and closed the city's busiest thoroughfare last night.

A total fire ban is across Otago as authorities warn of extreme risk of a major blaze which could take weeks to put out.

Firefighters have contained a large fire at a car wrecking yard in Invercargill.

A plantation fire that blazed through Pines Beach in north Canterbury yesterday is being treated as suspicious.

Police are still unable to determine what caused a house fire that killed three people in November, but say they are committed to finding answers.

An online gift store in suburban Auckland has been badly damaged by a fire overnight.

Firefighters have managed to contain a large plantation fire north of Christchurch which at its peak saw the evacuation of 40 nearby homes.

As temperatures soar above 30C across parts of the country, so has demand for firefighters as tinder-dry conditions create the perfect environment for forest and scrub fires.

Twenty-five people were rescued from a charter vessel which appeared to be on fire near Auckland’s Westhaven Marina this afternoon.

An elderly Southland man who suffered burns to most of his body in a house fire on Friday night has died in hospital, police have said today.

Seven homes have been confirmed destroyed and many more are suspected to have been lost as a major bushfire continues to burn fiercely through the Adelaide Hills.

Thousands of Australians fled their homes yesterday as wildfires raged across the nation's south.

An 18-month-old boy who suffered severe burns in an Auckland house fire is now in a stable condition, more than a month after he was rushed to Middlemore Hospital.

Dozens of firefighters battled a fierce bush fire in West Auckland last night that threatened homes and blocked access to residents.

Firefighters attended a dramatic fire in a van in West Auckland this evening.

Fire crews around the South Island were kept busy with three large and a number of small fires overnight.

A fire which destroyed a house and damaged another was started by a Dunedin man trying to inhale cannabis over an lpg heater, the Dunedin District Court has been told.

A 29-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious burns after a domestic incident this morning.

Fire gutted a home and wrecked two cars in the Auckland street John Key once described as a dead-end place.

A house fire at a property in Otaki was deliberately lit while the occupants were away on holiday, police say.

A Wellington man has been found guilty of setting fire to a storage facility, destroying millions of dollars worth of property.

Fire destroyed a couple's newly renovated home and their rare sports car when it ripped through the two-storey house.