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Australian state's heatwave sparks fears of bushfire

Xinhua, October 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Unseasonable heat is sparking fears from Australia's Victoria State's firefighters of a "long", bushfire-riddled summer after more than 70 fires raged across the state at the weekend.

Temperatures in the state reached above 30 degrees Celsius on both Saturday and Sunday, with 62 and 13 bushfires erupting in Victoria on each of those days respectively.

Another two days of temperatures above 30 are forecast for the state on Monday and Tuesday, with strong northerly winds also expected to create fire-friendly conditions on Tuesday.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) officials will meet on Monday to consider a total fire ban for tomorrow, which would be the earliest ever recorded ban in the state's history.

A "severe" danger rating has already been forecast for the three parts of Victoria.

"Whether you live in a city, town or rural area, it's always important to check the fire danger ratings for your area or where you're traveling to, and don't forget to check if total fire bans apply," CFA deputy chief officer Alen Slijepcevic told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

In what is being described as a "once in a century" spring heatwave by Australian media, some regional towns in the state are tipped to almost hit highs of 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said Victoria would enter summer "very, very dry" due to low rainfall across the state during winter.

"The (Australian) Bureau (of Meterology) has been very clear that this will be a long hot and dry summer and they said it would start early," he told News Corp on Monday.

CFA state response controller Peter Rau said people needed a prepared exit strategy should a fire threaten their home.

"We need to get people in those areas with their plans developed, with their plans trialled, in place and ready to go for this long summer," he told the ABC on Monday. Endi