Updated
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) is
urging residents to prepare for catastrophic fire conditions before it's
too late as temperatures across the country are set to break records.
Key points:
- Conditions in parts of NSW could be worse than those preceding Black Saturday
- "This is as bad as it gets," Rural Fire Service warns
- Parts of QLD could experience nearly 50C
The NSW RFS said the extreme fire conditions could start from around 11am on Sunday and last for up to six hours.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned conditions in some parts of the state might be worse than those that preceded the Black Saturday fires.
"The conditions for Sunday are the worst possible conditions, they are catastrophic — we haven't seen this in NSW to this extent ever," Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.
"It's not another summer's day. It's not another bad fire day. This is as bad as it gets."
"If you are caught out in the open under these sorts of conditions — you are likely to die — it's as simple as that.
The NSW ambulance service says it is well placed to respond to an expected increase in heat-related emergency calls but they are also echoing the calls of the RFS, advising people — particularly the elderly — to stay out of the heat.
"These people need to be in cool areas — whether that be air conditioning or whether that not be possible then certainly in a well-ventilated place," Commissioner Dominic Morgan said.
"Fluid intake is critically important for all people, not just our older community or our vulnerable community."
Mr Morgan said 20 children or animals had been rescued from overheated locked cars over the past two days.
In the ACT, emergency services have issued a total fire ban until Sunday and authorities warned they might be forced to switch off electricity in parts of Canberra to avoid any disruptions to supplies.
South-east Queenslanders are also experiencing a hot weekend, with a top of 39 degrees Celsius forecasted in Brisbane on Sunday.
Tops of 36C are expected on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michelle Berry said temperatures in Queensland look set to break records.
"We're going to see February records tumbling — for instance Birdsville we have a forecast of about 47C for Sunday, which hopefully will be the top," she said.
In South Australia, residents in the outback town of Leigh Creek on Saturday were demanding to know why they did not have phone or internet connection in the middle of the heatwave.
A south-westerly change in Victoria brought some relief overnight, easing heatwave conditions.
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