A severely burnt Dunedin man wants to thank those who helped him as his skin melted following a 'freak accident'.

Firefighters were this morning still battling a large blaze which ripped through hundreds of hay bales and threatened a house near Ashburton overnight.

Fire fighters are currently working to clean up a chemical spill in Christchurch.

Port Chalmers rugby players rushed to help a screaming man who was badly burnt in a car fire yesterday.

The operator of a Northland geothermal plant has denied Fire Service reports 30,000 litres of gas is leaking after an explosion at the site.

Victoria police are hunting an arsonist who set fire to an open-cut coal mine that has cloaked a nearby town in noxious smog.

Swathes of smoke can be seen drifting across East Auckland due to a derelict vehicle and pellet fire in Mt Wellington.

Two suspicious fires which occurred in South Auckland overnight are under investigation.

Canterbury firefighters didn't get much sleep last night with six rural fire around Ashburton, four of which may be linked and are being treated as suspicious.

Two people have suffered mild smoke inhalation but are otherwise lucky to walk away after the boat they were on caught fire near Waiheke Island

A fire that gutted a woman's home on Auckland's North Shore also left her neighbour homeless after the blaze spread upstairs in the building.

A 13-year-old Ranfurly boy has been referred to Youth Aid after allegedly starting the fire that significantly damaged one of the town's historic buildings.

Changing winds add to firefighters' difficulties north of Melbourne.

Despite cooler weather and huge defence by more than 6000 firefighters, Victoria was still struggling to bring huge fronts under control as darkness fell last night.

Taxpayers have spent nearly $30 million targeting vandalism at schools in the past two years, while thieves have made off with items such as plastic guttering and wooden seats.

Tales of bravery emerging from Australia's worst bushfires since Black Saturday also highlighted a lack of public appreciation of the dangers.

Homes "exploded" as a massive grassfire that started on Melbourne's northern fringe burned through regional areas, residents say.

Two people were rescued from a fire in a Wellington night shelter last night. The blaze broke out in an upstairs room of the Taranaki St property around 9.15pm.

Australia was burning again last night, with homes lost and flames licking at the outskirts of Melbourne as much of South Australia.

Fire ripped through a south Auckland house where hundreds of guests were gathering after a wedding this afternoon.