One house has been destroyed and the neighbouring homes damaged by a fire in Sydney's south-west.

In what is becoming an increasingly common occurrence, the blaze is thought to have started with an e-bike battery.

The fire started in Canley Heights about 6pm yesterday.

READ MORE: Death toll rises to 38 after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

The flames quickly spread from the house to both neighbouring properties.

"In effect we had three house fires going at once," Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Greg Easy said.

Today the family was salvaging what they could.

Neighbour Eddie Lee wasn't home but was alerted by friends.

The side of his house and awning was damaged.

"I don't even realise that much damage, because I asked police told me, and then they say only my backyard or fence or something, until this morning I coming out and I saw all this," he said.

It took nine trucks and 36 firefighters 45 minutes to extinguish the fires – thought to be fuelled by a now all-too-common source.

"Initial reports indicate that the cause of the fire may have been charging e-bike batteries in the rear of the yard," Easy said.

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It's thought the exploding e-bike batteries quickly ignited a large number of items in the backyard.

None of the occupants were injured.

The prevalence of those sorts of fires is now on the rise.

Between January and April there were 100 blazes linked to lithium-ion batteries in NSW.

Fire investigators say they're now seeing an average of four to five every week.

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To stay safe, authorities recommend only buying products with batteries and chargers from reliable manufacturers.

Users should only use the correct charger for the device and avoid tampering with the battery or charger or using batteries that are damaged.

Don't charge devices while sleeping or away from home and disconnect them when fully charged to avoid overheating.

Two cars collided with a herd on Friday night, leaving over a dozen cows dead or injured.

Divers searched beneath the waves for missing passengers and crew after a sightseeing ship capsized in a squall in Halong Bay, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam, on Saturday.

At least 38 bodies have been recovered and another 11 people have been rescued. Five others remain missing.

The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members – all of them Vietnamese – on a tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination, according to the reports.

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As of early Sunday morning local time, search and rescue efforts remained under way for those who are still missing, according to state media outlet Vietnamnet.

Local media reports that most of the passengers were tourists, from Hanoi, including about 20 children.

No Australians were on board the vessel, 9news.com.au understands.

In an interview with Vietnamnet, a 64-year-old diver at the scene said that much of the ship's passenger area had been searched. The cockpit and engine room, however, are stuck in mud, making them harder to reach.

"As of now, I am certain there are no more bodies in the passenger cabin," said diver Đinh Khắc Giông. "I only worry that some bodies may have drifted outside."

VN Express reported that the ship, called the Wonder Sea, was caught in a storm around 1.30 pm local time, which caused it to capsize.

It then lost GPS signal, according to the outlet, which cited the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee.

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The navy, border guards, police and port authorities – along with 27 boats and two rescue craft – were mobilised to the scene, VN Express reported, adding that heavy rain and limited visibility due to nightfall were making rescue operations difficult.

Most of the passengers were from the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and traveling as families, according to VN Express, which reported the eldest passenger as 53 years old and the youngest as just three.

Over 20 children were on board, VN Express said. Citing the director of a local hospital, the outlet reported that a 10-year-old boy is in stable condition after suffering multiple injuries.

It also reported a 14-year-old boy survived after being trapped inside the ship's sunken cabin for four hours, citing eyewitness and deputy head of the Ha Long Cruise Ship Association, Bui Cong Hoan.

State broadcaster VTV interviewed a survivor, Dang Thuy Linh, recovering at the provincial hospital.

"I have lost contact with my son, my husband and my friend's whole family," Dang told VTV, according to a translation published by Reuters.

"What I am asking now is for everyone to speed up the rescue mission, to save all of them," Dang added.

"Please don't let anyone behind on that boat. There is so little air left, there is a small chance of surviving."

The capsize reportedly happened near the Dau Go Cave – one of the largest in the bay.

Halong Bay is a popular tourist hotspot and a UNESCO world heritage site comprising of about 1,600 limestone islands and islets.

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Most of the winning tickets were sold in the North Island.

A car meet descended into chaos after hundreds of hoons spilled onto Melbourne's iconic Chapel Street overnight in scenes local leaders called "unacceptable."

Police swarmed the area from 7pm yesterday after reports of dangerous driving and traffic gridlock in the area.

Wild vision shows drivers performing burnouts, which forced a section of the famous strip to be shut down.

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At one point, a passing tow truck was inundated by people attempting to climb onto the vehicle.

The meet allegedly began in Port Melbourne where more than 600 hundred people had gathered before the crowd moved to Chapel Street.

Police said they were aware a large number of people were planning to engage in "intentional high-risk driving activity".

"Officers issued infringement notices to several drivers who chose to engage in hooning activity," a police spokesperson said.

"A number of defect notices were also issued in relation to modified vehicles.

"In an effort to disrupt hooning behaviour and assist with traffic congestion on Chapel Street, road closures were implemented for a short time."

No arrests were made.

City of Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr said she "condemned" the behaviour which took place on Chapel Street.

"This kind of illegal activity is dangerous, unacceptable and completely out of step with what our community expects for one of Melbourne's most iconic destinations," Sehr said.

"Council has invested $4.38 million through the Chapel Street Precinct Improvement Plan to help restore confidence, safety and amenity to this precinct.

"What happened last night flies in the face of those efforts – and the efforts of local traders, residents and emergency services who are working hard to support positive change.

"There is no place for this behaviour in Stonnington. It puts lives at risk, damages public infrastructure, and undermines the reputation of a precinct we are actively working to rebuild."

Sehr said the council will review CCTV footage and plans to hand over any evidence to police.

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The family of a motorbike rider who was killed after hitting a pole during a police chase has been remembered as "soft spoken, well-behaved and respectful".

Bradley Wilder, 20, died following a collision during the pursuit near Newcastle in NSW last night.

Police said they tried to stop a motorbike on King Street in Hamilton, around 4km from Newcastle's CBD, about 7.30pm as it didn't appear to have number plates.

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Police started a pursuit after he failed to stop.

They followed Wilder south on the Pacific Highway at Charlestown through several suburbs, before he came off the bike after hitting a traffic pole.

Wilder was treated by paramedics but he died at the scene.

His cousin Monique said Wilder was usually a "safe rider". He had bought a new bike around two months ago.

"Bradley was such a soft spoken, well-behaved and respectful young man towards absolutely everyone he crossed paths with," she said.

"I have [sic] drove with him a few times he has ridden his bike since purchasing it, and he has always been such a safe rider so for all this speculation and knowing him as the person he is it is definitely out of character for him."

Monique said Wilder had been looking forward to spending more time with his terminally-ill father, Craig.

"He liked doing things like playing video games, spending time with his family and loved his father so much in which whom he lives with and is very sick at the moment," she said.

He said he was due to care for his father when he had a lung transplant in Sydney.

"I'm so very hear broken, my baby cousin taken way too soon under such avoidable circumstances," she said.

Police have declared a critical incident following Wilder's death.

Witnesses reported the motorbike was travelling at high speed before losing control, 9News understands.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell could not confirm the speed but said the rider was "definitely speeding".

Police initially believed the motorbike did not have plates, however Waddell said the bike was registered but the plates were obscured.

Waddell said the "tragic" collision took place just five minutes into the pursuit.

"This is a tragic set of circumstances," Waddell said.

He said the officers involved are "obviously traumatised" by the incident.

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Police have established a crime scene and a critical incident team from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District will investigate the incident.

Waddell said police are now appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV footage.

Police are also investigating another motorbike which was "racing" in the same vicinity earlier that evening.

That motorbike was also the subject of a pursuit, which was later terminated.

The investigation will also be subject of an independent review by the Professional Standards Command and oversight by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

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The Herald followed the drivers as they took police on a cat-and-mouse chase.