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Australians brace for extreme heat in southeastern states

Australians brace for extreme heat in southeastern states

Australia's south-eastern states are set to swelter in the first heatwave of the summer, with more than a dozen fire bans in place.

Western Australia has already seen a run of high temperatures.

The heat is now moving inland and hitting Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

South Australia

There is an extreme heat warning in South Australia, with temperatures predicted to hit 43 degrees - the hottest day since January.

A total fire ban is in place across the state after bush fires spread rapidly yesterday.

The state's emergency services are warning people to refrain from any outdoor activities which could start a fire.

The forecast for Adelaide on Thursday is 43C, which would make it the hottest day since January 17, when the city sweltered as the mercury hit 43.1C.

Total fire bans are in place for all of the state's 15 fire districts, including the Adelaide metropolitan area.

The Country Fire Service (CFS) on Wednesday contained a bushfire which came close to homes in the Adelaide Hills and destroyed about 1000 hectares of grassland.

Crews are remaining on the scene, near Rockleigh.

The Bureau of Meteorology said a cool change was not expected across South Australia until late on Friday.

Victoria

Victorians are bracing for the state's first summer scorcher, with temperatures expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.

Melbourne will reach 40C on Thursday afternoon and the temperature will be in the mid-30s on Friday.

It will be in the low-40s in the state's north on Thursday and Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts.

Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said all Victorians needed to have a plan to beat the heat.

"The effects of extreme heat can be very serious, even fatal, so hot days like today should be taken seriously," Mr Holman said.

"Extreme conditions also call for extra vigilance to take care of those at risk, such as people who might be elderly or frail."

The ambulance service also warned parents to avoid exposing their children to the heat, and to never leave them unattended in a car.

Melbourne's train network has been an early casualty of the heatwave, with operator Metro cancelling almost 50 services on Thursday and Friday for safety reasons.

"The tracks can expand in high heat and we need to run trains at slower speeds to ensure your safety," Metro said in a statement.

Metro said trains were subject to speed restrictions when temperatures reached 38 degrees and cancelling trains in advance prevented congestion.

A cool change is expected to provide relief from the sweltering conditions around midday on Friday.

A total fire ban has been declared in the Mallee, Wimmera and northern country districts in the state's northwest.

New South Wales

As New South Wales prepares for a wave of hot weather over the following days, police are reminding motorists about the danger of leaving children, the elderly or pets unattended in cars.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that temperatures are expected to remain in the high 30s in the coming days for large parts of New South Wales.

The NSW Rural Fire Service warns that given the hot and dry conditions forecast for much of the State, residents need to be prepared and to remain vigilant.

However, it is expected to start to cool by the weekend.