Residents of a heritage seaside town devastated by fire on the NSW central coast have described the scene as "apocalyptic".

The Fire Service is at the scene of big house fire on the corner of Mahia Road and Great South Road in Auckland.

Federated Farmers has warned farmers to check their machinery for starling nests to avoid tractor fires this summer.

Strong winds have caused significant but localised damage on Auckland's North Shore this evening.

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.

Police attempting to arrest a woman near Levin ended up trying to rescue her after she allegedly started a fire in her own home.

Fire investigators are returning to the scene of a house fire in Christchurch today.

A barking dog saved a family from serious injury after a suspicious blaze tore through a Lower Hutt house this morning.

Four houses have been engulfed and destroyed and people are being evacuated as a large fire burns out of control south of Christchurch on Thursday, 10 January 2013.

An elderly firebug has been jailed for more than seven years today after lighting a series of forest fires south of Nelson.

A popular young Aucklander has died in a house fire at his Australian home, leaving his close-knit family devastated.

A small fire in the roof of Wellington Zoo's cafe may have been caused by a lightning strike.

"It was a shock", said 89-year-old Edna Harrison, but it didn't stop her walking into her neighbour's burning home to try to help him put out the blaze with a garden hose.

An abandoned Wellington house was destroyed by a suspicious fire today. Smoke from the fire could be seen from as far away as Wellington Airport.

Eight people were rescued from a house fire in Auckland's suburb of Glen Eden this morning.

Christchurch fire crews were kept busy last night with two serious blazes across the city.