By (A)manda Parkinson, AAP
A heatwave sweeping across inland Australia is expected to cause havoc for firefighters trying to contain several large blazes.
Blistering temperatures will hit Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory with the mercury rising above 40C in some areas.
Adelaide will reach 36C on Friday while Alice Springs will soar to 40C before the heatwave moves into parts of Victoria towards existing fire fronts.
Victorian Housing Minister Harriet Shing said there will be some incredibly hot and dry weather this weekend.
“Anybody who is vulnerable to ill health as a result of higher temperatures and hotter weather, should have a plan in place to access cool spaces and air conditioning,” she said.
“The energy market operator has indicated that there is sufficient power in the system to meet demand and that there should not be any need for blackouts or for a reduction in supply as a result of the hotter weather ahead.”
Victorian State Control Centre spokesperson Reegan Key said the forecast was “bad news” for not only residents but also firefighting crews battling blazes in The Grampians.
“It’s been burning for a couple of weeks now, and is now over 76,000 hectares … that’s about the size of Singapore,” she said.
“This is the fifth fire in 20 years, and the third major fire in that park, so the constant impact on some of the species is starting to show now.
“So we’ve had aircraft and crews back burning towards the fire … we have also had some (food) drops for rock wallabies.”
Many residents have now returned to Halls Gap, but Ms Key said emergency services are hoping visitors will be able to come to the area by mid next week.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get some people back into Halls Gap in the northern end of the Grampians, to try and support the communities who are usually busy this time of year.”
Ms Key said Parks Victoria is hoping to reopen the park in the coming weeks if the fires remain under control, but some areas will remain closed to help species rejuvenation and wildlife recovery.
