Extreme heatwave to bring bushfire danger to Australia's Victoria
Authorities in Victoria, Australia, on Thursday issued warnings as a severe heatwave is forecast to hit the state starting Saturday, with rural areas expected to approach record-high temperatures.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said at a Melbourne press conference that hot and windy conditions from Saturday will bring a return of extreme bushfire danger, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) predicts maximum temperatures in Melbourne of 40°C on Saturday and 42°C on Tuesday. The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared an extreme bushfire rating for Victoria’s west and southwest on Saturday, and for the northeast on Sunday.
BOM senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn said a “dome of heat” would sit over Victoria, with many regional centers nearing their all-time maximum temperature records.
The warning follows a severe heatwave earlier in January that sparked a widespread bushfire crisis, burning over 400,000 hectares and damaging or destroying more than 1,000 structures, including 434 homes.
Wiebusch noted that seven major fires continue to burn across Victoria, three of which remain out of control. CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the fire conditions during the approaching heatwave would not reach the catastrophic levels seen earlier in January, but fires are still expected to spread rapidly.
By Nijat Babayev
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