Thick smoke from a fire in one of Auckland's biggest department stores poured out on to Queen St late last night, shutting major city streets.

Firefighters have contained a large scrub fire in Masterton which was burning on about six hectares of land.

Police are investigating how a yacht caught fire, burned through a line and caused damage to two other yachts nearby.

A remote-controlled toy plane given to a teenager for Christmas nearly claimed his family's lives after it set their house on fire.

Entire Queensland towns have been inundated and more could go under in a deluge that's swamped the state makes its way towards the sea.

Mass evacuations are under way across flooded Queensland with disasters declared in the inland towns of Theodore, Dalby and Chinchilla.

Firefighters are inspecting the site of a blaze in Canterbury that burnt nearly 60 hectares of trees and pasture.

Police and the Fire Service are investigating a fire which gutted a high school gymnasium in the Wellington suburb of Rongotai this morning.

Firefighters in Canterbury are preparing to spend their Christmas Day battling a blaze that has so far burnt nearly 60 hectares of trees and pasture.

A massive blaze has engulfed the hills above Waimate in south Canterbury and tonight continues to burn.

Stretched Canterbury firefighters are battling two large scrub fires, one in Rolleston and one in Waimate.

Firefighters are continuing to battle a 120 hectare scrub fire in Waimate, which has now spread into forest.