Smoke was seen billowing across Hamilton in the early hours of this morning as fire crews battled a large restaurant fire.

Fire crews were called to a second blaze in Napier this afternoon, while an earlier scrub fire at Poraiti has been brought under control.

A Canadian couple on holidaying in NZ found themselves caught up in the Mt Maunganui fire, and not for the first time.

An investigation is due to get underway on the slopes of Mt Maunganui today to determine what sparked this week's destructive blaze.

Crews have managed to contain a large scrub fire in Southland, and about 20 firefighters remained at the scene tonight dampening down hot spots.

A false fire alarm sparked a mass evacuation from Christchurch Airport this afternoon.

Four children badly burned after a car they were in caught fire in the backyard of a Huntly house were sniffing fly spray.

Fire investigators are this morning heading to the scene of a blaze that badly damaged Hutt Valley property last night.

A neighbour has spoken of seeing the skin on one boy's arm "totally gone" following a car fire that left four children injured.

At least 143 properties in Western Australia, including the 128 houses in the tiny town of Yarloop, have been destroyed by a raging bushfire.

A fire which ripped through a property in Canterbury could have led to more tragic consequences had those inside not woken up to the sound of windows smashing.

A fire that gutted a property in Gore early today is being treated as suspicious by the police.

Two helicopters are tackling an "aggressive" fire that has been burning in the middle of the Waitaki River near the South Island town of Kurow.

Most of the Australian township of Yarloop is gone after a bushfire swept through in a wave of obliteration.

A building at a Christchurch secondary school has been severely damaged in a suspicious fire early today.

Residents of a Kingsland property were lucky to escape a house blaze unharmed this morning.

Fire crews discovered the body of a man after they were called to a house blaze in Marton overnight.

The strongest El Nino in nearly two decades has created tinder-dry fire conditions around the country, prompting a plea to heed restrictions now blanketing most regions.

A dozen firefighters were called to help fight a house fire in central Auckland this morning.

A contingent of Kiwi firefighters are joining their counterparts across the Tasman to combat wildfires blazing in Victoria.

New Year partygoers escaped an inferno in a 63-storey Dubai hotel yesterday.

A large bush fire forced the evacuation of homes in the far north in the early hours of this morning.

A derelict house in an East Coast township was destroyed by fire last night.

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.