Fire bans in place as states brace for Xmas heatwave

Emergency services are urging Australians to be safe over the Christmas break with hot, dry and gusty conditions triggering total fire bans in three states.

A high pressure trough making its way across the nation will bring fire danger to parts of Western Australia and South Australia on Christmas Day, reaching Victoria on Boxing Day where a more-than 40,000-hectare inferno has burned out of control for days.

Adelaide is set to record its hottest Christmas since 2016, with the mercury expected to reach 37C, and top 40C in other parts of the state.

Total fire bans have been declared in the Mount Lofty Ranges and the west coast region, and also in Western Australia, from Perenjori down to Quairading, east of Perth.

South Australia is in one of the driest periods on record, Country Fire Service chief officer Brett Loughlin said on Wednesday, warning fires could spread rapidly on Christmas Day.

“All we need is heat and wind to combine to create conditions for total fire bans and high risk fire weather,” Mr Loughlin said.

“This is not something that we do lightly.”

The state’s premier Peter Malinauskas has urged people to enjoy the festive season but to act sensibly and cautiously if they are in bushfire zones.

Extreme fire risks will shift eastward and across the border on Boxing Day as a cool change sweeps in from the west.

December 26 will bring Victoria’s worst fire risk since 2019’s Black Summer with extreme fire danger alerts in all but one region and a total fire ban across the state as temperatures push into the 40s.

As a more-than 40,000-hectare inferno in the Grampians National Park continues to burn, high winds forecast for Boxing Day pose major challenges to firefighters and emergency services, Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said.

“The fire at the Grampians National Park hasn’t been contained and is likely to spread further under the forecast conditions on 26 December,” Mr Heffernan said.

With some residents evacuating areas to the north of the park ahead of Boxing Day, those remaining have been urged to monitor changing conditions and stay up-to-date with alerts.

The State Control Centre’s Luke Hegarty has urged Victorians to make sure all fires are out by midnight.

“If you’ve been camping, if you’ve been out in the bush, or if you’ve been working at home ... Check any fires, make sure they’re fully extinguished and help keep Victoria safe,” Mr Hegarty said.

Elevated risks of heat-related health issues are expected, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Ambulance Victoria Emergency Management Director Dale Armstrong warned.

Heat stroke is fatal in up to 80 per cent of cases.

“Most at risk are elderly people, young children and those with medical conditions, however heat and heat-related illnesses can affect anybody,” Mr Armstrong said.

Victorians have been urged to prepare for outages with provider AusNet warning power faults could be triggered to prevent bushfires starting on Thursday.

As a cool change washes over Victoria on Friday, the extreme fire dangers will push into parts of central northeastern NSW on Friday and Saturday.