The number of hazardous Christmas lights in New Zealand is on the decrease, but consumers still need to exercise care, according to Energy Safety Services.

A large scrub fire south of Nelson has been contained but may take a week to fully extinguish.

A large fire in a complex of industrial buildings being demolished in Auckland may have been deliberately lit.

Power is back on in most areas of Timaru after a major blackout when a substation caught fire this morning.

A fire at a Timaru power substation has caused a city-wide power outage.

Trains into Auckland city were brought to a halt soon after daylight today when a fire broke out in a commuter carriage.

Up to 100 fires are burning across NSW as a large swathe of the state begins a day of total fire bans.

A Hamilton man is being hailed a hero after rescuing a badly burned boy from an explosion caused by a lit cigarette.

Vast tracts of South Australia are preparing for another baking day of catastrophic fire risk after yesterday's 40C-plus temperatures.

It is too early to say whether a fire that killed a woman and a child overnight is suspicious, police say.

There is a report of a large fire at the Corporate Consumables factory at 5 Fisher Crescent in Mt Wellington.