A fire which burned through 100ha of hillside near Arthur's Pass last week and four more fires on Saturday are suspected to be the work of an arsonist.

A 20-year-old Kaipara man is appearing in the Whangarei District Court today on one charge of arson.

A fire fighting helicopter pilot had an unexpected passenger hitch a ride in his monsoon bucket on Monday.

Auckland and Bay of Plenty worst hit, but authorities say reduction efforts have worked.

After extensive fire damage the Greymouth fishing boat Te Aroha has risen from the ashes and is back trawling off the West Coast.

A man obsessed by fire tried to burn down a classroom while on bail for assaulting a 91-year-old woman.

The wildfires that tore through East Tennessee killed 14 people last week and left nearly 150 others injured.

Police suspect arson after six car fires in Christchurch overnight.

A 40-year-old man had been charged with arson after three fires in Dunedin overnight.

Police have found four young people involved in an arson in Christchurch.

A man with gang links and considered dangerous by police is on the run and could be in Northland. Police are appealing to the public

A blazing wheelie bin, exploding spaghetti, and a hunt for the culprit through the dark streets of Whanganui made for an eventful

Eruptions, lahars, faster and better facilities, a catastrophic diesel spill and a devastating arson - it's been a hectic 30 years

"Did the logs go up?" asked Sheree Paul when police questioned her about an attempt to set her neighbour's fence on fire. Paul was

Police have charged a 22-year-old man with arson in relation to three fires in Westport's main street in recent months.

A fire at a community recycling depot in Alexandra is being investigated as an arson attack, with a detective saying it was clear a fire had been "deliberately lit".

Police are investigating a suspected arson at a Woodville property where a man was killed last month.

Police hunting for arsonist who torched designer home in Auckland suburb are investigating if the blaze is linked to opposition to its controversial construction.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out this morning in Auckland on the victim of a fatal boat fire on Waiheke Island.

A frustrated conservationist who set fire to a lodge on an unspoilt island in the Hauraki Gulf has avoided a jail term, partly due to his service protecting the environment.

Broadcaster Susan Wood has blasted the person who set off a flare which landed in one of Auckland's wealthiest streets, an incident police said was dangerous.

A large amount of asbestos has been discovered in an abandoned school which caught fire yesterday but the Fire Service says nearby residents are in no danger.

Fifteen fire engines are battling a large blaze which has engulfed an abandoned school hall in Petone this evening.

Two early morning fires deliberately lit at an Auckland school and church may have been started by the same people, police say.

The families of the victims of the so-called House of Horror murders in Christchurch will have a big say in what is put on the empty site in Aranui.

Convicted child killer Jeremy McLaughlin is appealing against his conviction and sentence for the murder of Christchurch schoolgirl Jade Bayliss.