Latest from Fires

Smoke turns skies over NZ orange

Skies around the country have been looking noticeably more hazy orange and bronze-coloured in the past few days as smoke from Australia's scorching bushfires reaches us.

Woman's lifesaving dash into smoke

A young woman raced into a smoke-filled corridor to warn neighbours about the fire engulfing their downtown Auckland apartment building after the smoke alarm system failed to go off.

Arson and accidents stretch fire services

Fires raged up and down the country yesterday stretching emergency services to "maximum capacity".

Rainfall eases firefighters' fears

Firefighters pray for monsoon

Australia's hopes are now focused on the monsoon finally forming over the north of the continent as more homes were lost to furious fires raging in above-40s temperatures and powerful hot winds yesterday.

Sleeping children saved from fire

Two minutes longer and a fire that destroyed a garage and small flat in Papamoa could also have claimed the lives of four children.

Ozzy injured in house fire

Ozzy Osbourne singed his hair and injured his hand trying to put out a fire in his Beverley Hills home.

Air NZ keeps the faith with Boeing

Busy night for Christchurch firefighters

Firefighters have battled two Christchurch house fires overnight - one of them considered suspicious.

Earthquake follows Oz bushfires

Northland firefighters helping battle devastating bushfires in Tasmania have had to deal with another natural phenomenon - an earthquake.

Rain relief on the way for Canterbury

Farmers and landowners of "tinderbox dry" land on the outskirts of Christchurch should soon receive a reprieve with rain due to sweep in tomorrow.

Fire damages Hamilton house overnight

Cool change for NSW firefighters

A cool change has brought relief to NSW Rural Fire Service officers fighting bushfires across the state, however, about 30 fires remain uncontained.

Tinder-dry Canterbury still braced for fires

Tinder-dry conditions in Canterbury mean fire crews are remaining on high alert.

Firefighters tackle Christchurch scrub fire

Fire threat to lives

Queensland reaching record temperatures

Aussies warned after bushfire jumps containment lines