Parts of Australia will face fire disaster conditions on Friday, as heatwaves hit much of the country, creating the most “significant” conditions since the Black Summer bushfires.
Severe to severe heatwaves have been declared in every Australian state and territory, except Queensland, with high temperatures forecast for several days.
The state of Victoria has declared a total fire ban for Friday with the northern areas closing 450 schools and childcare centers as well as parks, as the level of fire danger for the region will be set at “catastrophic” – the highest level.
A meteorologist told the BBC that the combination of heatwaves and a high fire risk posed a risk not seen for years.
On Thursday, firefighters battled a number of fires in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), with a dozen water tankers called to tackle a large fire near the town of Wodonga, according to the ABC.
Melbourne experienced its hottest day in six years on Wednesday with a high of 40.9C (105.6F), while some coastal towns in Western Australia hit 49C.
In NSW, the heatwave is expected to peak on Saturday with Sydney facing a high of 42C while areas of South Australia and Western Australia could see temperatures above 40C in the coming days.
Friday is “the real peak of the current burst of heat,” Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology told the BBC.
“It’s going to be a very hot day for almost all of South Australia, Victoria, most of New South Wales, parts of Tasmania”.
Wednesday will be the first significant heatwave for Melbourne and Adelaide, where millions of people live, with fire conditions expected to worsen on Friday, he said.
“Firstly, winds will pick up across Victoria tomorrow,” Hines said, adding that combined with possible thunderstorms with light rain and dry lightning, the fire risk could hit disaster levels for northern Victoria.
“This appears to be the most significant multi-day event for inland south-east Australia since 2019-2020,” Hines said.
That period six years ago saw Australia’s worst fire season on record, the so-called “Black Summer” of 2019-20 where dozens of people died and thousands of hectares of land burned.
In Victoria, authorities on Thursday warned that a catastrophic fire risk rating meant potential fires could be “unpredictable and uncontrollable”.
“We need the community to play their part alongside our emergency services to protect lives and property,” said Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch.
“Prepare now and create your bushfire survival plan. If you are in an area with a predicted fire hazard, leave early for an area with less fire risk.”
Australia’s fire risk rating scale has four levels, with catastrophic being the highest level, followed by severe, high and low.
A heatwave is declared when the minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be higher for three days in addition.