‘Very bad day’ ahead as heat engulfs parts of Australia
Firefighters are nervously preparing as a heat wave, windy conditions and lightning create the perfect storm for the worst wildfire conditions in years.
A major heatwave in Australia’s south-east is expected to keep the mercury rising, with temperatures expected to rise to 41°C in Melbourne and 47°C in inland Victoria on Friday.
Urgent warnings were issued overnight for bushfires in northwest Victoria and Longwood, while fire warnings were upgraded to disaster level in the state’s Wimmera, north country and south-west regions and a complete fire ban was imposed across the state on Friday.
Little Yarra Country Fire Authority captain Peter Cookson, who is fighting a blaze at Longwood in the state’s north, said despite years of experience the conditions still made him uneasy.
“It’s all going to be a very bad day,” he told AAP.
“We are all preparing for these days and if nothing else, this is a win.
“But you can’t say nothing will happen; all of these events can start with a spark.”
Fire crews continue to respond to two large out-of-control fires; The Longwood fire has burned more than 28,000 hectares, while flames on the Victoria/NSW border near Walwa and Mount Lawson have burned more than 9,000 hectares.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that winds of up to 90km per hour and the risk of severe storms could lead to erratic fire behaviour.
State Control Center spokesman David Nugent said a number of new fires have broken out across the state due to dry lightning.
“Under these catastrophic conditions, there is a real potential for lives and homes to be lost,” he told AAP.
Strong winds can also cause the firefighting air fleet to be grounded.
“There is a very real possibility that the aircraft will not be able to fly at some point,” CFA chief Jason Heffernan said.
“If a fire starts and we see it spread in the direction it’s going, we can expect them to become uncontrollable. They can’t be stopped.”
Ambulance Victoria said paramedics and first responders in disaster-prone areas would be withdrawn on Friday and redeployed to those areas only for serious or life-threatening illnesses.
The heatwave is expected to affect the ACT and NSW, where a total fire ban was declared in the eastern Riverina, southern Riverina, southern foothills and Monaro highlands on Friday.
Temperatures won’t be as high in NSW; Sydney is expected to reach a maximum of 33C, with Canberra reaching 39C.
But things are set to get worse on Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach 42 degrees in the port city and temperatures even higher in the western suburbs.
NSW Ambulance chief chief Steve Vaughan urged residents to start preparing for hot conditions and stay cool, hydrated and indoors during the hottest part of the day.
“Heatwaves put real stress on your body, with consecutive days of unrelenting heat causing stress that builds up over time,” he said.
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