Emergency services in Whangarei last night controlled a large scrub fire that threatened properties in a coastal community.

A large scrub fire in the Northland seaside settlement of Tutukaka has officially been brought under control after initially threatening homes.

Firefighters battling a large sand dune fire at a Christchurch beach this afternoon now appear to have it under control.

The whare kai, or cooking house, at Waikare Marae went up in flames around 6pm.

A man who lost his house in the Christchurch earthquakes has been struck by tragedy again after losing his house to the Australian bushfires.

A lakefront Queenstown home was damaged by fire yesterday, after its occupant took a phone call while cooking.

A man has been arrested after he "lost it" and set his house on fire on Christmas Eve in rural Waikato.

Fire danger remains high in many parts of the South Island because of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

A house in South Auckland has been extensively damaged after an early morning blaze on Christmas Eve.

Firefighters are battling an out-of-control vegetation fire at Stillwater, north of Auckland.

An arrest has been made after a fire at a Christchurch squatters' pad in the early hours of this morning.

A Westport house was destroyed in an early morning blaze on Saturday after the Christmas tree lights caught fire, engulfing the ceiling.

Firefighters are at the scene of a massive blaze in an abandoned two-storey house in central Christchurch.

An out-of-control fire was last night raging towards residents in Victoria's northeast who have been warned it's too late to leave their homes.

One person is being treated for smoke inhalation at the scene of a house while a vegetation fire in Kumeu is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters responded to an alarm activated at Mt Eden school earlier this evening.

Smoke billowing over city as bush fire rages on city's North Shore.

A major blaze which came within metres of destroying a home, forced the evacuation of at least a dozen Northland properties, and closed a state highway for several hours.

Around 1200ha of pine forest and grassland have been destroyed in a forest fire that continues to burn out of control in Marlborough.

The cause of last night's inferno at an office tower remains unknown - and more than 100 fire fighters and 23 appliances were required to fight the blaze.

Residents living in Waihopai Valley, where a forest fire is raging, have been warned; if there is a change in weather they may have to evacuate their homes.

Firefighters are still at the scene of a dramatic high-rise blaze which ripped a "massive hole" in the side of an office tower in Takapuna.

A man is lucky to be alive thanks to his neighbour thumping on the door of his smoke-filled house after he fell asleep cooking.

One child suffered burns in the face and the other in the stomach in the fire in Auckland.

Trees are in flames in Brighton, near Dunedin, after a controlled burn spread. Source: ODT

Counties Manukau fire safety officers are investigating the blaze of a large house near Mangatawhiri this morning.

Emergency services are working to extinguish a blaze in an industrial building in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie.

He said up to nine fire engines were on site at the incident's peak, but only two are still there.

Six fire crews and a helicopter are battling a large forestry fire in North Canterbury.