Two people have suffered mild smoke inhalation but are otherwise lucky to walk away after the boat they were on caught fire near Waiheke Island

A fire that gutted a woman's home on Auckland's North Shore also left her neighbour homeless after the blaze spread upstairs in the building.

Neighbours rushed to the rescue of an Auckland woman's home as rubbish piled up in the backyard burst into flames damaging the next-door property this morning.

A 13-year-old Ranfurly boy has been referred to Youth Aid after allegedly starting the fire that significantly damaged one of the town's historic buildings.

Despite cooler weather and huge defence by more than 6000 firefighters, Victoria was still struggling to bring huge fronts under control as darkness fell last night.

Tales of bravery emerging from Australia's worst bushfires since Black Saturday also highlighted a lack of public appreciation of the dangers.

Taxpayers have spent nearly $30 million targeting vandalism at schools in the past two years, while thieves have made off with items such as plastic guttering and wooden seats.

Homes "exploded" as a massive grassfire that started on Melbourne's northern fringe burned through regional areas, residents say.

Two people were rescued from a fire in a Wellington night shelter last night. The blaze broke out in an upstairs room of the Taranaki St property around 9.15pm.

Australia was burning again last night, with homes lost and flames licking at the outskirts of Melbourne as much of South Australia.

Fire ripped through a south Auckland house where hundreds of guests were gathering after a wedding this afternoon.

A second helicopter equipped with a monsoon bucket has been scrambled to help fire fighters tackle a spreading scrub fire near Kaipara.

Fire fighters are currently battling a large fire which has engulfed a warehouse in St Johns, Auckland.

A suspicious fire is burning about 10km south of the country's largest Kauri, Tane Mahuta.

When Australia burns, Northland firefighters are often called across the ditch to help douse the fires.

Two drivers have been cut out of their respective vehicles with the jaws of life following a head-on crash near Taupo this morning.

Weary Australian firefighters will soon be able to take a break as help makes its way across the Tasman.

Two people have been seriously burnt in several explosions and a fire at a rural property near Whangarei.

The gas bottle explosion that rocked central Invercargill yesterday, seriously injuring the man transporting it in his ute, is extremely rare and will take some investigating to find out why it blew up, fire experts say.

The death of a person in the south Auckland suburb of Flat Bush yesterday is not suspicious, police say.