A 65-year-old man who lost his life in a blaze in Paeroa has been named by police.

Neighbours are mourning the loss of a 'very good friend' who died in a blaze in Paeroa this morning.

The blaze that gutted two Queenstown homes was yet another caused by the poor disposal of hot ashes, a fire safety officer says.

Two people escaped a fierce fire which gutted two Queenstown houses yesterday.

Fire Service investigators have discovered what caused a blaze that severely damaged an Auckland doctor's clinic this morning.

Patients of an Auckland doctor’s surgery razed by fire this morning have been reassured their medical records are safe and there is alternative care for them.

A duck-shooting trip turned to tragedy yesterday after a group of mates were flung from their boat as it capsized on the Waikato River.

Police have confirmed that one person has died and three others have been taken to hospital after a boat overturned on the Waikato River.

A big scrub fire broke out in the Scroggs Hill near Mosgiel, Otago, this afternoon.

Police were called to a party in North Dunedin last night after firefighters putting out couch fires reported bottles being thrown.

Police have said they are investigating social media post that suggests arson was the cause of the blaze at Rotorua Girls' High.

A property in Levin has been attacked by an arsonist twice in the last two weeks.

The Fire Service has won its latest case in a string of legal battles against insurance brokers taking advantage of loopholes around fire levy policies.

A large scrub fire has been blazing for most of the night in a coastal area north of Christchurch.

An Auckland RSA is facing an uncertain future after it was engulfed in flames in the early hours of the morning.

Two large blazes broke out in Auckland in the early hours of the morning.

Unclean kitchen flues may have led to the fire that caused extensive damage to celebrity chef Al Brown's high-profile Auckland restaurant.

Police say there was no foul play to a car fire near Nelson in which a person was dead.

Police are hoping to remove the remains of a body from a burnt out car near Nelson today.

A body has been found inside a car that was "engulfed" in flames on State Highway 6 near Nelson today.

A fire ripped through the rear of at Franz Josef Glacier restaurant early this morning leaving the building badly damaged.

A large fire in a mechanical workshop in Henderson has been contained.

Spain's development ministry has said that a fire broke out on a ferry as it journeyed from Palma on the island of Majorca to Valencia in Spain.