Latest fromFires
NSW bushfires: Residents begin to flee
Residents of the NSW Blue Mountains are beginning to flee ahead of what's feared to be the most serious day of the state's bushfire crisis.
Lightning hampers firefighters in NSW
As the NSW bushfire emergency enters its seventh day, firefighters are being hampered by lightning strikes which are igniting new blazes.
Firefighter falls into blaze
An Aussie firefighter who slipped and fell into a blazing inferno was unfazed by the close call and, after clambering out, picked up his hose and carried on.
Homes in fiery path reduced to rubble and iron
Harry Fuller is showing me around what used to be his family's Blue Mountains home - now just a jumble of rubble and corrugated iron..
Braced for day of extreme danger
Thousands of firefighters are bracing for what is expected to be the worst day of the bushfire crisis in New South Wales as temperatures soar and searing winds return.
NSW bushfires: NZ still on standby
New Zealand firefighters are still on standby and waiting to see if under-fire Australian colleagues need their help in battling the raging New South Wales bushfires.
Attempts to link out-of-control fires
Firefighters are working to link two out-of-control fires burning in the NSW Blue Mountains in an effort to starve them of fuel and prevent a "mega-fire" forming.
Fire and climate change: Don't expect a smooth ride
With fires still burning across New South Wales, it's time to have a look at the role climate change might have played. Are the conditions we're seeing natural variation, or part of a long term trend?
Social media carries story of crisis to the world
As firefighters and ordinary residents toil at the black-red coalface of NSW's bushfire crisis, their story of heroism and anguish is being told to the world.
Three top-level alerts as megafire threatens
The unique landscape that made disaster inevitable could now help create a megafire engulfing vast areas to the west of Sydney and threatening the outskirts of Australia's biggest city.
Kiwi firefighters likely to help - PM
New Zealand is likely to send specialist fire fighting personnel soon to help battle the New South Wales bushfires, Prime Minister John Key says.
NSW bushfires - updated
Firefighters battle bushfires in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, NSW in Australia.
Sydney fires caused by people and nature
Even without the official tally it looks like the fires that started yesterday in Blue Mountains will be the most costly in terms of property since 1968. But how have they come about?
State of emergency as huge fires rage
Firefighters continue to wage a relentless battle against massive fires that threaten to engulf the entire Blue Mountains region west of Sydney as temperatures rise again into the 30s.
Residents ready to flee
Pets, spare clothes, photo albums, computer equipment and important documents.
Firefighters battle on in NSW
Thousands of firefighters, some drafted in from other states, will continue attacking massive fronts in New South Wales in a battle that is likely to last for weeks.
Arson probe as NSW fires rage
Residents of a heritage seaside town devastated by fire on the NSW central coast have described the scene as "apocalyptic".
Six trucks at scene of Auckland blaze
The Fire Service is at the scene of big house fire on the corner of Mahia Road and Great South Road in Auckland.
Farmers warned to check for nests to avoid fires
Federated Farmers has warned farmers to check their machinery for starling nests to avoid tractor fires this summer.
Strong winds hit Auckland
Strong winds have caused significant but localised damage on Auckland's North Shore this evening.
Fatal arson 'unpredictable'
There was no way for the caregivers of a teen to have known her behaviour would escalate to setting fire to her ex-boyfriend's house, killing his mother, a Coroner has ruled.
Wanted woman starts fire
Police attempting to arrest a woman near Levin ended up trying to rescue her after she allegedly started a fire in her own home.
Investigators return to Chch house fire scene today
Fire investigators are returning to the scene of a house fire in Christchurch today.
Dog saves family from suspicious fire
A barking dog saved a family from serious injury after a suspicious blaze tore through a Lower Hutt house this morning.
Fire badly damages Blenheim food warehouse
A Blenheim food warehouse has been badly damaged in a fire overnight.
Suspected arson: Mystery hospital death
A German forensics expert has been asked to help police solve the mysterious death of a woman while being treated in hospital for burns she suffered in a suspected arson.