Fires rage in four states amid heatwave

Firefighters battled bushfires in four states yesterday as eastern Australia's unrelenting heatwave pushed temperatures to record highs at the beginning of what authorities fear might become a disastrous summer.

Health officials have also warned that extreme heat could kill hundreds of vulnerable people, and that more dangers can be expected from smoke and dust storms whipped up by powerful, scorching winds.

Although Sydney escaped the worst, by yesterday afternoon other major cities were sweltering: 42C in Adelaide, 37C in Canberra, and 34C in Melbourne, which on Wednesday night endured its hottest November night on record.

Fire danger was rated as very high to extreme across most of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, with temperatures hitting 40C in many centres and soaring to 45.3C in Ceduna and 44C in Whyalla, both in SA.

In two regions of SA - the coast stretching west from Adelaide and parts the Eyre Peninsula - the fire danger was again rated catastrophic.

This puts conditions on a par with those of February's Black Saturday disaster in Victoria, with any fires potentially raging well beyond the ability of firemen to control and capable of destroying everything in their paths.

Late yesterday fire erupted in the "catastrophic" west coast near the small fishing and resort town of Streaky Bay.

And a grass and stubble fire near Carramulka, on the lower Eyre Peninsula broke containment lines and was by late afternoon out of control, driven by strong 50km/h winds in 40C heat towards the communities of Stansbury, Deep Gully and Wool Bay.

As aircraft began waterbombing and eight units fought the blaze, two fire units collided, seriously injuring one fireman.

Elsewhere, firefighters brought six other outbreaks under control.

In Victoria, the Bureau of Meteorology said the extreme heat that had scorched Melbourne and seared thousands of square kilometres of farm and bushland this month was likely to be only a prelude to summer.

Average state temperatures have already been so high that this month will set records, even with an expected cooling over the next few days.

Yesterday the Country Fire Service sent aircraft above vulnerable regions to check if lightning from thunderstorms had sparked fires in remote, tinder-dry country, as it did last February. Late yesterday the state appeared to have so far been fortunate.

Small fires broke out across NSW, but despite conditions ranging from high to severe all were under control by late yesterday.

But weather forecasters said worse may be ahead as hot northerly winds swept over NSW, pushing temperatures into the 40s in almost every region except the coastal strip.

A weak change tomorrow will bring some relief to southern and western regions, but the rest of the state will continue to fry over the weekend. The bureau said November records of 45.2C at Wilcannia and 43.3C had been set this week, and more could be expected.

In Queensland, which has been hot but not as badly hit as the southern states, firefighters yesterday contained a fire at Mt Maria, near Bundaberg.