Firefighters in Victoria and South Australia brace for 100km/h winds and more high temperatures after difficult conditions on Saturday

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Fires burning in extreme conditions in Victoria have been largely contained but firefighters have warned the danger is not over.

A band of lightning moving across the state could bring more fires as temperatures hit 40C and winds gust above 100km/h, and a total fire ban across the state has been declared for Sunday.

More than 300 fires were reported on Saturday, and there were 100 calls for help about wind blowing down trees, but damage was minimal.

“We haven’t lost a house today,” the emergency management commissioner, Craig Lapsley, told reporters on Saturday. “We’ve had some impact on outbuildings, only minor impact though.

“That’s been due to some really good firefighting.”

However, there were reports of homes being destroyed and one person being trapped in a fire near Ballarat.

Lapsley warned residents to watch out for lightning strikes and report if they saw smoke after 15 minutes.

“There’s no significant rain at all and we are concerned about the amount of lightning that will move through,” he said.

The fast-moving fire burning in open country in central Victoria near Ballarat was not yet under control on Saturday evening, and residents were warned to leave.

“There’s a fire to the northwest corner of Meredith that is burning in open country and will be fanned by very strong winds,” Lapsley said.

A fire burning out of control near Wonthaggi in Victoria’s south was brought under control and firefighters had also contained a Wandin North grassfire, which was no longer an immediate threat.

Police arrested a man after a large suspicious grass fire in Epping on Melbourne’s outskirts.

The 34-year-old man was arrested in Vearings Road about 12.50pm.

The fire took hold in grassland along the Hume Freeway and Cooper Street about 10.15am.

Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said people needed to check on their relatives and friends in the heat.

“We’ve already done up to a dozen cardiac arrests today unfortunately,” he told reporters.

A cold front is predicted to move across Victoria from the west on Sunday.

Severe wind warnings and extreme fire danger ratings have been issued for large parts of the state, while Melbourne is expected to have a minimum overnight temperature of 29C.

South Australia also remained in the grip of a week-long heatwave but the end is in sight, according to forecasters.

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Saturday was a record-setting fourth December day where temperatures climbed above 40C – reaching 42.6C. A cool change is expected on Saturday night.

An SA ambulance spokeswoman said the service had been busy, but extra staff had been rostered on to help deal with increased demand.



The blistering conditions have been blamed on a stationary high pressure system in the Tasman Sea which has been dragging hot air from the centre of Australia.



The heatwave has left an apprentice carpenter fighting for his life after he collapsed on a building site on Wednesday.



Travis Mellor, 17, was admitted to hospital in a critical condition and remained in a coma on Friday.



He was one of more than 100 hospital admissions over the past three days for heat-related issues, not including those admitted on Saturday.



The severe heat also forced Thoroughbred Racing SA to cancel a scheduled race meeting at Morphettville racecourse in Adelaide on Saturday.



Wildlife and conservation parks on the Eyre Peninsula were also closed.