Firefighters

Firefighters trapped, injured in Auckland's Muriwai house collapse

In a media briefing this morning, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) chief executive Kerry Gregory said a volunteer fire brigade crew had been responding to flooding on Motutara Road on Monday night.

"Last night, just before 11 [pm]... while they were at that incident there was a landslide and the landslide took out two houses and trapped two of our firefighters there," Gregory said.

'Brian' the kitten rescued from Melbourne dumpster after being covered in olive oil

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) was called by the RSPCA at 11:00am after its officers were unable to free the cat from the bin at Keilor Park.

The kitten, a stray, had to be sedated and covered in olive oil before firefighters carefully pulled it from the pipe at the bottom of the dumpster.

The tiny ginger cat's head was poking out of the hole, which was smaller than the palm of its rescuer.

The MFB said it was tired and dehydrated, and was taken to a vet for a check-up.

VIDEO: Siberia firefighters battle Lake Baikal fires

There was "no threat" to residential areas and the situation was "under control", according to the head of the Irkutsk regional department of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations.

On the western shore of Baikal, in the Irkutsk region, the number of fires had reduced and was affecting an area of 107,000 hectares (413 miles), according to official reports.