Firefighters and police are treating a large blaze at a house in central Christchurch this morning as suspicious.

Police and Fire Safety officers are investigating after a body was found in a burnt-out campervan in the South Island this morning.

The fire that claimed Christchurch-raised actor Eitan Djiji's life was described as "black, black ... it was pure black" by one firefighter whose helmet melted from the heat.

Experts have been warning for more than a week that the fires that have blanketed much of western Russia in thick smoke could stir nuclear debris.

An aspiring NZ actor and singer is fighting for his life in LA County-USC Medical Centre, where his condition was listed late yesterday as grave.

Three men have been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged arson and burglary of a west Auckland discount store gutted in a fire early today.

At least one man is "helping police with inquiries" after a suspicious blaze gutted a West Auckland discount shop overnight.