Latest from Fires
Destructive blaze sparked by lighter
A family will have to rebuild their lives after their Auckland home burned down as a result of a child playing with a cigarette lighter.
Sudden wind change saves Aussie town
The menacing red sky turned blue as the wind change came and Halls Gap dodged a bullet.
Two more days of heatwave hell for Australians
The searing heatwave that has engulfed southeastern Australia since the start of the week has at least two days to run.
Large scrub fire in Gisborne under control
A large scrub fire which took hold in a Gisborne park last night is under control, the Fire Service says.
Link between Auckland fires?
Two early morning fires deliberately lit at an Auckland school and church may have been started by the same people, police say.
Lax attitudes rile firefighters risking lives
"Householders are leaving things to the last minute, do not have a plan, not know what to do." Firefighters are frustrated with West Australian homeowners.
Large blaze in Gisborne forces evacuation
Fire fighters are battling a large blaze in Titirangi park in Gisborne which has come within 20 metres of some houses.
Two children rescued from car fire
One child remains in hospital after two young children were pulled from a burning car in a Palmerston North supermarket carpark today.
Arson attack on Auckland landmark
A fire lit in the early hours of this morning has damaged part of Auckland's St Mary's church.
Fire risks rise with Aussie heat
Health and high fire danger alerts are coming into force as the heatwave that scorched Perth and ignited huge fires close to the city moves up the east coast.
Primary school fire suspicious
A large fire at an Auckland primary school is being treated as suspicious, the fire service says.
Recycling truck catches fire on Waikato highway
A truck has caught on fire in Waikato blocking part of State Highway 27.
Woman struck by petrol tanker
A female pedestrian has suffered life threatening injuries after being struck by a petrol tanker in central Dunedin this morning.
'Hay Family' fire sparks ire
There's anger in Kurow after the town's famous 'Hay Family' was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.
Police at the scene of Christchurch house fire
The Fire Service has been at the scene of a house fire in Christchurch this morning.
Large scrub fire in Opahi Bay
A large scrub fire has engulfed a cliff-face in Opahi Bay, about 20km south of Warkworth, tonight.
Common kitchen feature blamed for fires
A common kitchen feature has been blamed for fires which destroyed one home and badly damaged another in the past month.
Scrub fire stops trains in Hamilton
A scrub fire has forced a halt to train traffic outside Hamilton.
Train believed to have ignited large blaze
A train is believed to have ignited a large blaze that destroyed a vast crop and threatened to spread into nearby areas of Chertsey in Ashburton yesterday, firefighters say.
Fire spreads through two storey block in Manurewa
A fire has broken out at a Manurewa business with reports of people possibly trapped inside. St John was called to the fire on Great South Road at 12.25pm today.
Man live tweets apartment fire escape
A New York City father began posting harrowing tweets online revealing how his high rise apartment building was burning below him - trapping him and his family inside.
High-end lodge up in flames
A multimillion-dollar luxury lodge in Whangamata's Wentworth Valley was engulfed by "a huge fireball" and destroyed early yesterday.
Fierce fire in Coromandel
A private lodge in Coromandel was badly damaged by a large fire early this morning.
Cliff blaze blow to community
A blaze that raged through 20ha of hand-planted pohutukawa forest yesterday has struck a blow to the small community of Karekare Beach on Auckland's west coast.
Large scrub fire near Auckland
Firefighters battled a large scrub fire on Auckland's west coast on the road leading to the popular Karekare surf beach.