A Green Island man was left with burnt hands and a garden shed minus one wall after an explosion during a drug-making operation last month.

At least three people have been killed following a large house fire in Hamilton early today.

The mother of a little boy killed in a house fire is unaware her son is dead and has missed his funeral.

An Asian custom that has caught on for weddings and birthdays could soon be against in the law in Auckland, and that's not impressing some retailers.

About 60 fire service staff battled a fierce blaze at a Northland plastics factory overnight.

Friends of a woman who lost a child and her home in a house fire have set up a fundraising page to help the family.

The mother of a 3-year-old boy killed in a Hamilton house fire yesterday is still fighting for her life.

Four Housing New Zealand families have been forced from their Stokes Valley homes overnight following a suspicious fire.

A suspicious fire in an Ashburton garage where a family of three were sleeping was reported by a distressed child in the dead of night.

The Fire Service responded to 60 firework-related calls across the country last night.

Thick smoke and falling ash surrounded Lynn Bennett as she fled the huge flames that came within metres of her Woodside home yesterday.

The fire, along the ridge of the Maungatua Hill Range, forced the evacuation of a number of properties on nearby McKendry Rd this morning.

A controversial plan to ban domestic open fires and old woodburners in Auckland has been kicked to touch until at least next year.

A fire which destroyed a community hall near Tauranga last night has been labelled suspicious by authorities.

Operators of an almost-built cafe in Auckland's Cornwall Park that was gutted by a deliberately lit fire on Sunday are considering temporary replacement options.

A fire at an Auckland mosque that has been at the centre of allegations of extremist Islamic teaching is being treated as suspicious.

Police are investigating whether a fire at an Auckland mosque that has been at the centre of allegations of extremist Islamic teaching was deliberately lit.

A fire that gutted a million-dollar cafe in one of the country's most popular parks is being treated as suspicious.

A driver speeding at 150km/h dropped a hitch-hiker off on the side of the road before continuing to flee police until his car caught fire.

A fire at a mosque early this morning is under investigation.

One person has died after a a car and truck collided north of Auckland. It is the first road death of the long weekend.

A prosecution could be in the wind for TradeMe founder Sam Morgan, after a burn-off on his property on Tuesday blanketed Wanaka in smoke.

Thick smoke from a farmer's burn-off blanketed Wanaka for much of yesterday afternoon, angering some residents and perplexing tourists.

Police are investigating a huffing incident in South Auckland after two people were hurt when a gas bottle exploded this evening.