All eyes are on a bushfire raging for weeks as southern Australia swelters through a three-day heatwave.
Hot conditions are expected to continue on Jan. 5 from central Australia to the southeast, with pockets in Victoria’s east and New South Wales (NSW)’s southeast experiencing severe conditions until late Sunday.
Firefighters are on high alert in Victoria as the Grampians fire, which began mid-December, continues to burn.
It has been declared an extreme fire danger day in the Mallee, Central, and North Central regions and a high fire danger day in all other parts of Victoria.
Total fire bans have been declared in the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, North Central, and Central (including Melbourne and Geelong) districts.
Country Fire Authority (CFA) Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the total fire ban had been declared because of the potential for gusty conditions.
“This weekend’s hot and windy conditions pose a big risk for the state with significant fires already in the landscape,” he said.
“Heatwaves can be incredibly dangerous, and they kill more Australians than any other natural event.”
He said it was important for travellers to remain alert and in tune with fire danger warnings across the summer season.
Authorities are monitoring fire threats in two of Victoria’s most popular national park holiday destinations on opposite sides of the state, with tourists and locals in the Grampians and Wilsons Promontory urged to monitor alerts.
The Grampians National Park bushfire has slowed but continues to burn, with four houses and several other buildings lost in recent weeks.
More than 76,000 hectares of the Grampians—equivalent to the size of Singapore—have been burnt.
A heatwave warning for SA, NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, with temperatures set to reach the 40s in some parts of the country on Jan. 5.
Meteorologist Jonathon How said conditions should start to ease on Monday for SA and Victoria, but it will not be until the middle of the week that NSW gets some relief.
“Low-intensity heatwaves are common at this time of year, but once we get into the severe category, especially with a run of hot days and warm nights, some people can find it challenging,” he said.
In NSW, fire crews battled 40 fires across the state on Saturday with the help of waterbombing aircraft to try to stop the spread.
A number of those fires are burning in or around the Yengo and Wollemi National Parks and near the Attunga State Forest.
