Australians in Victoria have been warned they should prepare for property loss or worse as much of the country faces extreme heatwave conditions.
Temperatures on Friday and Saturday are forecast to hit record highs for most states and territories, with Victoria and South Australia in particular bracing for dangerous fire conditions due to strong winds and hot temperatures.
A total fire ban is in place in Victoria and all regions across the state were given a catastrophic or extreme fire danger rating.
Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse, Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief officer Jason Heffernan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday.
The conditions were extreme yesterday. They're catastrophic today, Heffernan said.
Temperatures in Melbourne are expected to hit 42C on Friday and while areas in north-west Victoria may reach 45C, a cool change is forecast in the south-west.
A bushfire near Longwood, central Victoria, has burnt through nearly 36,000 hectares, authorities said, with at least 20 homes in the small town of Ruffy destroyed.
Ruffy CFA captain George Noye said the town had been severely affected, stating, The main street looks like a bomb's gone off, we've lost a school. Some properties have lost everything. They've lost their livelihoods, they've lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating. But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill reported that three people remain unaccounted for in the Longwood area, with hopes they may still be safe.
In South Australia, local fire authorities are facing similar challenges with temperatures expected to soar to 46C.
