7NEWS live updates: Driver killed in fiery cotton truck crash

That’s it for our morning news coverage. Thank you for joining us, we’ll jump back on if anything breaks this afternoon.

An “anticipated confrontation” between two groups is believed to be behind a deliberate hit-and-run that left a teenage boy seriously injured, police say.

The 15-year-old suffered serious leg injuries when he was struck by a car which mounted a footpath in Werribee, Melbourne on August 10.

The boy was walking with four or five friends on Margaret St when a car mounted a footpath and drove towards them.

The driver did not stop and sped off.

Five weeks on from the incident, police are now seeking help from the public in finding the person responsible.

First Constable Laura Robinson said it’s believed a group of boys had attended Margaret St for a planned confrontation that did not end up happening due to the hit-and-run incident.

“The one group that was present ... we believe were there for an anticipated confrontation that never occured due to the vehicle attending and deliberately hitting the victim,” she said.

The number of people inside the car is so far unknown.

Police were called to Margaret St earlier that same day where they seized a number of edged weapons.

It’s unclear if these weapons were knives or machetes.

Neighbours have told police that the group who were walking along the street may have been armed but this is still being investigated.

The victim is known to police, Robinson said.

He has provided a statement however police are still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Robinson said the incident was both reckless and dangerous.

“It’s reckless and dangeorus, especially with other families in their own homes,” she said.

Two people have been taken to hospital following a fire at a home in Sydney’s west.

Emergency services were called to a home on Beale Cres in Fairfield just after 8am on Monday.

Paramedics assesed two people - a man in his 60s for minor burns and a woman in her 90s for smoke inhalation.

They were both taken to Liverpool Hospital in stable conditions.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

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ANZ faces a record $240 million fine for “widespread misconduct” against nearly 65,000 customers spanning several years.

The fine relates to four separate matters across ANZ’s Institutional and Retail divisions.

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) said the bank did not respond to hundreds of customer hardship notices and made false and misleading statements about its savings interest rates.

ANZ also failed to refund fees charged to dead customers, ASIC said, and acted “unconscionable” in its dealings with the Federal Government while managing a $14 billion bond deal.

ASIC Chair Joe Longo said ANZ had once again betrayed the trust of Australians.

“The total penalties across these matters are the largest announced by ASIC against one entity and reflect the seriousness and number of breaches of law, the vulnerable position that ANZ put its customers in and the repeated failures to rectify crucial issues,” he said.

“Banks must have the trust of customers and government.

“This outcome shows an unacceptable disregard for that trust that is critical to the banking system.”

ANZ has admitted to each of the allegations and has agreed to pay the fine.

The Federal Court will determine whether the penaty imposed by ASIC is appropriate.

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The town at the centre of Australia’s biggest manhunt is preparing to return to a sense of normalcy as police lift movement restrictions around the area.

A strong police presence in Porepunkah and surrounding areas, including Myrtleford and Bright, is expected to continue as authorities enter their third week in search of accused cop killer Dezi Freeman.

Freeman, 56, is accused of fatally shooting policemen Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart at a property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26 before escaping into bushland.

Police on Sunday lifted travel warnings in the area, allowing the community to return to normalcy ahead of school holidays.

Mount Buffalo National Park will remain closed.

Read the full story ​here​.

- Melissa Meehan

Two cars have been destroyed by fire in Sydney’s west with police now hunting the arsonist responsible.

The fire was ignited on Corio Dr at St Clair around 2.20am on Monday morning.

A Holden Commodore on the road was first set ablaze before the flames spread to a Honda Civic next to it on the footpath.

Fire crews managed to get the fire under control within minutes of arriving at the scene.

No one was inside the cars and police have spoken with the owners of both vehicles.

“Officers attached to Nepean Police Area Command have established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the fire, which is being treated as suspicious,” NSW Police said.

Anyone with any information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

A teenage boy was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Melbourne’s west last month, with police still hunting for the driver responsible.

Police say a group of people were walking along Margaret St in Werribee when a car mounted the footpath and drove at them about 3.45pm on Sunday, August 10.

A 15-year-old boy was struck by the car and was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.

The driver did not stop and sped off.

Police believe the car involved was an early 2000s model Honda Civic with a silver body, gold front bumper and false number plates.

It had two black stripes on the bonnet and minor red markings/panel damage to the back right side of the vehicle.

CCTV of the car has been released.

Anyone who recognises the car or has any information about the hit-and-run has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

A man has died in a fiery crash involving a truck carrying cotton on a Queensland highway.

The B-double and Mitsubishi Pajero collided on the New England Hwy near The Summit about 6.20pm on Sunday.

Both vehicles veered off the road and caught fire, with the cotton inside the truck further fuelling the flames.

The driver of the Mitsubishi, a 60-year-old man, died at the scene.

The driver of the truck, a 65-year-old man from NSW, suffered minor injuries.

Ian Barden from the Queensland Fire Department said the debris from the collision was spread across 100m

“I think the road is gonna be shut for another couple of hours until we can determine that all that fire is out in those cotton buds to stop them reigniting,” he said.

Police are investigating.

A man has died when his motorcyle crashed into a tree in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.

The motorcyclist crashed on Ballina Rd in East Lismore about 7.40pm on Sunday.

Police performed CPR on the 30-year-old man and he was treated by paramedics, however he died at the scene.

“Police established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the crash,” NSW Police said.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Anyone with any information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.