Trains into Auckland city were brought to a halt soon after daylight today when a fire broke out in a commuter carriage.

Up to 100 fires are burning across NSW as a large swathe of the state begins a day of total fire bans.

A Hamilton man is being hailed a hero after rescuing a badly burned boy from an explosion caused by a lit cigarette.

Vast tracts of South Australia are preparing for another baking day of catastrophic fire risk after yesterday's 40C-plus temperatures.

It is too early to say whether a fire that killed a woman and a child overnight is suspicious, police say.

There is a report of a large fire at the Corporate Consumables factory at 5 Fisher Crescent in Mt Wellington.

A student at a top private school has been charged with arson after a fire that damaged two classrooms.